Time and Time Again
by Anna Maxwell
Summary: The gundam boys are now 29 years old. They've gone their seperate ways, but a new kind of war brings them back together along with two gundam girls. And what side is Trowa fighting for anyway? Not everyone can survive this time...R&R please!
1. Bad Sense of Deja Vu

1 Title: Time and Time Again  
  
2 Author: Anna  
  
Co-Author: Chase  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: Chase and the original Gundam Wing characters are not mine.  
  
Alias list: Anna Maxwell aka Gabi Russell. Chase Yuy aka Elise Thate & Jenn Estes.  
  
Author's notes: This is an AU set after the Rain series written by Chase and myself. I just had an idea and decided to try to run with it a little. If you aren't familiar with what happens in the Rain series, I suggest you read that first. If you don't, none of this will make very much sense at all. Spoiler for Rain: In the Rain series, both Heero and Duo die in battle, and Chase and Anna are sent home. In Chase's story line, the girls are brought back to the beginning of the war where everyone was alive and start over. This story is written as if they were sent back, but never returned to the Gundam Wing world. The year is 2013. Chase and Anna are sharing an apartment in Chicago, just out of college. They have returned to their original names, Jenny and Gabi. But peace never lasts for long.  
  
  
  
Chapter One: Bad Sense of Déjà vu  
  
Gabi bustled around the small apartment that she shared with Jenny. It was a Thursday night, and as all Thursday nights with them, it was quiet. It was even more quiet than usual because the smaller girl was out of town at a magna convention.  
  
Jenny was due back Saturday and the older girl wanted all the laundry and cleaning done before she came home. She always had a ton of dirty clothes when she came back from conventions. Gabi didn't know what she was going to do with that old Otaku shirt. It certainly had been around the block a few times.  
  
As she sorted laundry by the washer, she made sure to stick her hands in all the pockets to check for abandoned items. They were both terrible about leaving jewelry and lipsticks in them, and the lipsticks were havoc to get out of clothing once sent through the washer. She should know; she'd done it three times that year already.  
  
She stuck her hand into her blue jeans pocket and frowned when her nails hit something hard. She could have sworn she hadn't left anything in them the day she wore them. Slowly she pulled out a tarnished silver chain, with a small star charm on it. Her mind immediately flashed back to a different necklace. It wasn't the same as this, but it was dang close. Her frown deepened when she realized that neither herself nor her roommate owned a necklace like it. She set it on the counter and headed upstairs for the towels she forgot.  
  
Deep in thought, she was completely zoned out as she grabbed the hand towel on the rack, and stuck her hand in the shower for the bath towel. Her actions froze to a stand still as flesh met her wrist, and fingers encircled it. Her throat constricted until she worked out a strangled yelp. She jerked back, wrenching her hand away from the thing in the shower. Visions of the movie Psycho came to her mind. Thankfully, she wasn't the one in the shower.  
  
"Who the blazes are you?" she hissed, backing quickly towards the door.  
  
The figure in her shower clucked its tongue distastefully. "I don't remember you being so jumpy, Anna."  
  
If she had been shocked before, that was the dozy. No one had called her that in almost ten years. Not since…  
  
"How the heck…" she breathed, "How can… He, He, Heero Yuy…"  
  
"So glad you remember." He remarked, pulling the shower curtain aside.  
  
She gasped, taking in his well-known face. He was the same, except older. He still had those looks, his face not marred by scars. However, there was a scar running from the tip of his thumb that snaked its way almost to the crook of his elbow that unmistakably defined that last battle. Carefully, she reached out and clamped a hand over his shoulder. It made solid contact. She wasn't hallucinating.  
  
"My stars. You're real. You're in the real world." She said softly. "But you died…"  
  
A smirk crossed his tired features. "As a friend of ours once said, how can you kill death?"  
  
She paled and leaned against the sink. "My God, Duo. Duo's alive?"  
  
Heero nodded. "We all are. We always were."  
  
A weak laugh escaped her. "I'm not a widow anymore."  
  
"Technically yes, you are. You weren't married in this world. Only in ours." He replied.  
  
She looked bewildered. "So, you were always alive. How can that be? We buried you. Cried at your funeral. They sent us back and I lost… How?"  
  
Heero sighed. "Do you have any coffee? This could take a while to explain."  
  
She nodded. "Come downstairs, I'll get us a cup. I think this is the one time in my life I wish I drank. I could use something stiff."  
  
He arched an eyebrow.  
  
She thought about past events and shook her head. "Never mind."  
  
The young woman led Heero downstairs through the kitchen and into the living room.  
  
"Have a seat. I'll get us the coffee."  
  
"Thanks, Anna."  
  
She stood at the counter staring off into space as she waited for the coffee to drip into the pot. It was agonizingly slow, as she was desperate to get in there and talk to her best friend's husband. Where have they been for ten years? What were they doing? Did they remarry? What is he doing here now? She was sucked back into reality as a scalding heat met the flesh on her hand that rested on the coffee maker. She pulled it away with a sharp intake of breath and reached to the cabinet for her ceramic mugs. She took them down one at a time, one blue and one purple.  
  
"Do you like it with sugar, cream, or just straight?" she called.  
  
"Straight, thanks." He answered.  
  
"Kay." She poured with a sense of wonder. It was almost natural for her to be asking how he liked his coffee. Someone she'd known well for four years, shared a best friend with, and eaten three meals a day with. She'd seen him die on that battlefield along with her husband. And here she was some ten years later, pouring him coffee. She dumped sugar into hers, and took the mugs into the living room.  
  
He stood as she entered and took the mug from her hand. They sat down across from each other on opposite yet matching couches. The couches were white and she considered it a miracle that she and Chase even owned them. Chase had wanted mostly dark covered furniture, but she had insisted on some light.  
  
The two old friends watched each other intently. He looked the slim figure in front of him over, from the purple fuzzy sweater to the flared jeans, back up to the medium length hair twisted back in a periwinkle clip, to the silver rim glasses resting on her nose.  
  
"You've changed, Anna." He said quietly.  
  
She looked at him, from the black mock neck sweater with the sleeves pushed up to the khaki slacks, to the scar on his arm, to the piercing blue eyes.  
  
"So have you, Heero." She replied softly.  
  
"So what do the two of you do now?" he asked.  
  
"Well, I have a medical degree, but I haven't started a practice yet. Jen-Chase is a journalist, but she mostly draws and sells mangas. She's really very good at it; we go to Japan every summer now. She's a huge hit at the conventions." She said smiling. They'd done a lot since high school.  
  
Heero nodded. "I knew she'd be good at anything. If you don't practice, what do you do?"  
  
"Oh, I'm actually in the process of publishing my first novel, and I teach composition at a high school downtown." She smirked. "Don't worry. I contribute."  
  
He chuckled. "I'm sure you both do. Where is Chase?"  
  
"She's out of town, she should be back in a day or two. Won't she be surprised to see you here." She mused. Her look turned serious. "What happened Heero? How and why are you here? What happened to the others? Why now?" she asked.  
  
He set his half-empty cup down on the coaster on the table and sighed. "It's a long story. Don't think your tears were wasted all those years ago, we were dead. It started when they took us to the hospital for autopsy. Dr. J. couldn't let it be and diverted the 'car' to his lab. There he used an experimental drug on us. It started my heart immediately. It took them forever to stabilize me, and they thought I would be a vegetable once they accomplished it. I was in a coma for four months. They had a harder time of it with Duo. They administered dose after dose after dose before it took effect on him. Slowly and surely we recovered." He paused and forced a small smile. "We were too late. Almost eight months had passed since the day we died and the day we set foot on Quatre's estate again. I'll be honest with you, it was the third most emotional experience of my life that reunion was. Quatre told us the next day that you'd gone, you wouldn't remember, and Trowa had destroyed both yours and Chase's laptops. Duo and I both knew right then you were the one's not coming back, and there was no way to get to you. Even if we could, you wouldn't remember." As he said the last sentence he stared closely at the ex-Star pilot. "But you remember. How?" he asked.  
  
She had been sitting with her hands around her mug, her jaw open several inches, having trouble digesting all this information at once. If they had stayed, if they had waited… "I-uh, that is we," she sighed, "It didn't work. It's true. We were supposed to be sent back with no memory of what happened to us in the Gundam world. We'd blink, and we'd be back on my street four years earlier. Didn't work that way. We blinked all right, but it sure as heck wasn't Kansas we landed back in. We did land back four years like we were supposed too, but it was two days before the day we'd been taken the first time. Go figure. It took me a minute to realize where I was, and I called her. We both remembered much to our misery. We never figured out why." She said. "What did you guys do?" she asked.  
  
Heero sighed again. It seemed to be the going theme of the evening. "We all eventually went our separate ways. Wufei went back and helped the government rebuild the L5 colony. Quatre continued to run his father's business with his sister's aid. Trowa disappeared with the circus one day. Duo took it hard. I mean, we remembered too, what happened the day we died. Then, to be put through all that just to find that you were both gone… Neither of us took it well. He disappeared one day with a promise of 'I'll be back'. Yeah, right. He showed up six months later, sick as a dog. When he got better I went with him to L2 to rebuild the church he grew up in. After that was done, I left him there and went back to Earth. I joined the Preventers and made my way to second in command under Lady Une. Life was peaceful." He finished and shrugged.  
  
"What happened to the Gundams?" she questioned.  
  
His gaze hit the floor. "They were all destroyed but two."  
  
Her eyes became wider than saucers. "They what?!?"  
  
He gave her a withering look. "Anna, the gundams weren't needed anymore. They were just instruments of war. You know that."  
  
"Which ones?" she sighed.  
  
"Wufei took the Star and the Altron and detonated them somewhere in China. Trowa took the Galaxy and the Heavyarms and detonated them in France. Quatre took the Deathscythe and blew it up somewhere." He answered.  
  
"That leaves Zero and Sandrock. Why the heck Zero and Sandrock? That's the weirdest combination I've ever heard of." She exclaimed.  
  
"Defense and offense, I guess. They went in a museum memorial along with Talgeese." Heero said with disgust.  
  
"A museum. That's…quite a dusty finish for our old friends." She said, repressing a growl.  
  
He smiled and nodded. Heero picked up his mug and took a sip.  
  
She followed his actions, and then set her cup back down. "Heero, I'm thrilled beyond words to see you again, and to know that Duo's alive, but I've got to ask. Why are you here now? And how did you get here?"  
  
Silence filled the town house as he avoided the question as long as possible. "I don't know how to answer that." He said softly.  
  
"Heero, even after ten years, I know when you're messing with me. Why are you here now?" she asked again gently.  
  
"You never were one to be fooled, were you?" he mused dryly.  
  
"Iie, Heero-chan, iie."  
  
"Everything was going great in the world up to two months ago. It's different than it was the last times we had uprisings. Before it was an always-disgruntled soldier still looking to pick a fight. This time, it's a younger generation. They're being trained for months to a year to be professional assassins. Their practice targets include some of the minor diplomats of the world. They call themselves OWN, Our World Now. And they're getting better all the time." He told her.  
  
During his explanation she'd risen from her spot and came to stand by the window. She'd figured out what he was here for when he got to 'up to'. There was no way. She and Chase had lived in the real world for too long now. There was no way on earth they could go back now and fight another war. They were too old for that kind of thing. She groaned inwardly as it started to rain torrentially outside. She turned and gave him and even stare.  
  
"Do you have any idea the amount of emotional stress you've created in half an hour? Do you have any idea what this is going to do to Chase just knowing you're alive? Knowing we probably made a rash choice in going back so soon? Knowing that for ten years, we carried a secret that revolutionized our lives here forever? You know, if we had stayed, I'd have a nine-year-old son right now? Duo's and mine. And why are you looking at me like that?"  
  
Heero stood next to her and glared down at her. "I know perfectly well what this could to Chase. She was my wife for heaven's sake. That's why we never wanted a child of our own. It would be the most unstable thing the world had ever seen. Don't you think that for ten years all of us carried that burden of making rash choices? Quatre felt the guiltiest for sending you back. It was hell on earth for a lot of people, Anna. I'm sorry you and Chase had to face it alone, but it wasn't one big counseling session for us either." Heero snapped.  
  
She glared right back up at him, for the first time realizing how much taller he was than her. "At least you had a reason you could talk about! If people asked us questions like why are you so depressed all the time, we couldn't tell them we were technically fifteen-year-old widows! So all they could assume was that we were socially aggressive because we were dropped on our heads as kids or whatever. We both were, but that's besides the point." She sighed. "I'm sorry Heero. I honestly never expected to see you or even be reminded of everything like this again."  
  
"Yeah, me neither. Gomen." He relented.  
  
"There's no way we can go back and fight another war, Heero. There's just no possible way." She said firmly.  
  
"I'm not asking you to go back and fight another war. The war came here to you." He replied.  
  
"Nani?" she exclaimed.  
  
"I can't say how, but OWN came to your world the same way I did. Now they're planning to take over the world in the past to control the world of the future. I need you and Chase to help us stop them."  
  
"That's the only reason you came back? To employ our help because we used to pilot gundams?" she whispered.  
  
"No. That's one of many reasons. We also came back because we're missing two important parts of which we are. It's one part Star, and one part Galaxy." He said.  
  
She leaned her head against the window and watched the drops pelt the glass pane. "Aww, heck." She smiled and laid a hand on his arm. "For old time's sake, count me in."  
  
He grinned briefly. "Good. I knew I'd see you two again. But for now, Chase can't know about this."  
  
"What!?"  
  
(An: very AU, I know, but it's fun! Let me know how you like it. Arigato!)  
  
  
  
Jenny ducked between the people of the party. Several of the people that had held the convention were throwing a huge party. She growled as one more person knocked into her. "Too many drunks," she muttered as she stepped outside, breathing in the cool air thankfully.  
  
She slumped down in a chair, gazing at the stars. She laid her head back and swirled the soda in her cup that remained around. "Never knew this would be so stressful."  
  
"Aw, c'mon! You can handle a little stress!" a voice said from behind her.  
  
Jenny recognized that voice, but it couldn't be… She turned and saw the tall American man with a long braid swung over his left shoulder. His violet eyes smiled, and he grinned his same old grin. He wore a dark black shirt and black slacks. Still the Shinagami. "Duo…"  
  
"Hiya, Chase. It's been a while, ne?"  
  
She adjusted the black glasses that rested on her nose and stood with her mouth hanging open. "Duo?" she repeated, not completely sure. She'd made the mistake once of seeing someone at one of these otaku get – togethers and mistook him momentarily for Trowa. "Is it really you?"  
  
Duo continued grinning. "'Course it is! You kidding?" He looked her over. Her hair had grown and been lightened several shades so that it was more of a strawberry blonde. Duo noticed she now wore glasses that hid the expression of her eyes. He smirked. "What happened to those green eyes or yours, ne, Mrs. Yuy? They're brown now."  
  
Chase smiled and ran to him, hugging him. She couldn't explain how he was here, but it was a miracle. She didn't care why he was here. "Anna's going to be so happy…"  
  
His grin faded into a deep frown. "I can't tell Anna I'm here yet. Come on. Do you have a place we can talk?"  
  
"Yeah. I'm staying in the hotel down the street."  
  
"Good. This'll be one long story, Chasey."  
  
A/N: Let us know if we should go on! 


	2. So They Were Here All Along

1.1 Chapter Two: So They Were Here All Along  
  
Gabi showed Heero to the loft of her and Jenn's townhouse. "You can stay here until Chase gets back. I don't like not telling her, it doesn't seem fair."  
  
Heero put his bag down and sat on the edge of the bed. "I promise it's necessary, Anna. Believe me, I don't like it any more than you do. I miss being married."  
  
She smiled. "Yeah. So do I."  
  
Heero paused. "Anna?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"There's something I need you to go ahead and do for me." He said cautiously.  
  
"What's that?" she asked, puzzled.  
  
"You know that computer company that's been on the rise?" he questioned.  
  
"You mean Luck Inc.? Heck yeah. They're taking over the stock market. Their products are selling like wildfire! And everything is really inexpensive. All my students have palm planners or music players from them. I even bought a hand-held organizer myself. Those people are going to undersell themselves into bankruptcy." She replied.  
  
"Do you know the name of the man that owns the company?" Heero asked.  
  
She thought for a minute. "I know its Lucky something… Oh! That's it. Lucky Vincent. Lucky indeed, the man's rolling in money."  
  
"You studied names and meanings, didn't you? Think about what those names mean. In the morning, I need you to go to Luck Inc. Headquarters in New York and talk to Mr. Vincent yourself." Heero said.  
  
"Tomorrow morning?! Heero, I can't do that! It's Friday tomorrow and I've got two classes to teach." She exclaimed.  
  
"What classes?"  
  
"I've got a tenth grade composition and a ninth grade health class. I can't miss them." She sighed.  
  
"I'll go and teach them for you."  
  
She blinked. "Say what?"  
  
"I'll teach them for you. I know plenty about health and broken bones. I'll make it a mostly grammar day. Trust me. You need to go." He insisted. "It's just for one day, Anna."  
  
"Heero…"  
  
"Just think about what the name means, and go in the morning. I've already got your ticket. You'll be back by dinner."  
  
She relented. "All right. I said I'd do it. Good night, Heero." She leaned over and hugged him. "It really is good to see you again in one piece."  
  
"You too, Anna."  
  
"Night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
She smiled softly to herself on the stairs as she heard the sound of typing from the loft.  
  
She lay in bed that night staring at the ceiling, trying to think of what the name meant. She knew lucky meant fortune, or fortunate. She just couldn't think of what Vincent meant. And she knew they had to go together. She rolled over and stared at a wall scroll that Jenn had drawn. It was actually of the five boys when they'd been younger. She kept it on her closet door for a keepsake. She nearly bore holes in the pencil image of them, trying to think. Vincent, Vincent, Vincent, what did Vincent mean? She thought she was going to go crazy.  
  
Finally, in desperation, she got up, turned the surviving lamp on, and headed out into the hall. She passed the stairs to the loft, passed the bathroom, and went down the hall to the master bedroom. They'd made the master bedroom their office because Jenn needed so much space for her drawings, and they both needed their own computers and laptops. So the space had been good, and since there were two bedrooms at the other end of the hall, why use only one?  
  
She sat at her desk and shuffled some of her manuscript papers around. After she found the mouse she logged into the Internet. She pulled up a site about names and searched for Vincent.  
  
It read:  
  
Vincent –Latin- meaning conqueror or victor –male.  
  
She sighed. No light bulbs were flashing, and it wasn't helpful. She logged off and went back to her room. She paced, and then sat on the bed.  
  
"Vincent means victor. A victor is someone who triumphs. Someone who wins. A winner. Someone, who is stro," she cut herself off as the light bulb came on, and then exploded.  
  
"A winner. He's a winner! Fortunate Winner! Four Winner! Quatre- Raberba Winner!" She laughed out loud. "Quatre's been taking over the stock market for six month's and we didn't even know it."  
  
She fell asleep easily. Maybe, just maybe, all the pain was worth waiting for what came after.  
  
In the morning, she went downstairs to find Heero already dressed and drinking coffee. She smiled sweetly at him and plopped a pile of books on the counter. He arched an eyebrow at her from his perch on a barstool.  
  
"Morning, Heero-chan." She chirped.  
  
"Morning, Anna. What is that?"  
  
"That, boyo, is what I teach. The yellow folder is my health class's graded tests; you'll need to hand that back. I called the principal to alert her to the fact you'll be my sub. You'll need to give the definitions of all thirty words in the blue folder to my composition class and assign them the feeling essay I want due next Monday. Assign the health class the worksheet in the green folder, and warn them about the Wednesday quiz that I'm giving next week and tell them not to leave gum under the desks. Oh, and Heero? Be a good example. I don't allow weapons in my classroom." She replied cheerfully.  
  
He looked at her skeptically. "You do this everyday?"  
  
"Hai! And I love it. Oh, and don't let Trent and Austin sit together in composition, they'll raise Cain if you do." She added.  
  
"Why are you teaching and not practicing medicine?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Because Chase and I were considering moving and I didn't want to go through all that paperwork."  
  
"All right. You figured it out?" he asked.  
  
"Of course. I'm packed and ready to go." She beamed.  
  
He smiled. "Naturally. Your plane leaves at nine. I'll see you tonight, then."  
  
She grabbed her bag and headed out the door. "See you! Heero? I want all fifty of my students alive when I get back!"  
  
And she was gone.  
  
Heero stirred his coffee and looked at the clock. She forgot to tell him what time her classes were.  
  
(A.n. I got a little crazy with it, gomen! Anna's in New York? Heero's teaching high school? Quatre's ruling the American stock market? I must be crazy! *grin* Enjoy)  
  
Jenny turned over lazily in her bed as her alarm blared country music in her ear. "Just ten more minutes," she mumbled as she pressed the snooze button.  
  
"It's a red letter day."  
  
Jenny looked up and saw Duo dressed and standing over her bed. "What?" It was too early for this.  
  
"The alarm clock is in one piece," the braided man said with a grin.  
  
The younger woman growled something inaudible. "Anna-chan told me to stop because they cost too much after I run through several of them in one week."  
  
Duo made a face, and then grinned. "Same 'ol Chase, ne?"  
  
"No." She sat up and pulled her knees to her chest, placing her chin on them. "Let me get this strait: There's a group coming to take over our world to get to yours. They call themselves OWN and are basically a bunch of kid assassins?"  
  
Duo nodded.  
  
Chase rolled her eyes. "I'm an artist, not a pilot!" she groaned.  
  
"Then why did I see a license for piloting when I went through your wallet?"  
  
Jenny sat strait up. "You WHAT?!"  
  
Duo grinned. "Well I was bored," he sulked. "And it was late so I figured I needed to do SOMETHING since you seemed so out of it after that party."  
  
"I got my pilot's license when I was seventeen. My dad taught me."  
  
"Cool. Actually, it couldn't have been that difficult to learn. You knew how to pilot a Gundam."  
  
"They're very different." She sighed. "Duo, would you go get me some hot tea from downstairs in the lobby?"  
  
"Don't you drink any coffee yet?"  
  
"Nope. Anna has hand NO effect on me in that region."  
  
Duo gave a lopsided grin. "'Kay. Be right back, then."  
  
Jenny nodded. She stood and grabbed her sweatshirt from the floor she had thrown in on. "I gotta call Gabi," she muttered as she picked up the phone and dialed the townhouse. 


	3. Time to Rock and Roll

Chapter Three: Time to Rock and Roll  
  
So there she was, sitting on a plane to New York. "I should be teaching my first class. This is crazy. What if I'm hallucinating him or something?" she sighed.  
  
At least so far, she had the privilege of a window seat and the seat next to her was empty. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice the man sitting down next to her until he tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
"Pardon me, Miss, but you're phone is ringing." He said in a soft baritone voice.  
  
She started out of her daydream and looked at her purse, which was ringing as he said.  
  
"Oh, thank you. I didn't notice it." She said and fished around for the object in her bag.  
  
She cut off the cheerful "Clowns" ring. "Max-Estes." She answered barely catching herself in time.  
  
"Gabi?" came the static filled voice.  
  
"Jenn? Hi! You're not back are you?" she asked.  
  
"No, not yet. I'm at a hotel with D- the other convention guests. It was pretty crazy last night." She answered, almost making her own mistake.  
  
"I bet it was. Sorry I couldn't be there." The older girl responded.  
  
"You have no idea." Jenn muttered.  
  
"What was that? You're breaking up."  
  
"Nothing. Where are you? I couldn't get you at home."  
  
Gabi could imagine a billion little sweatdrops gathering. "I, uh- am on my way to work."  
  
"You sound fuzzy." Her roommate replied.  
  
"Bad signal area." Gabi said. It wasn't a total lie.  
  
"Yeah, I bet. Listen, I'll see you later okay? I might make it back tonight." Jenn said.  
  
"Okay." Gabi replied with forced cheerfulness.  
  
"You all right?"  
  
"Yeah, why?"  
  
"You always sound funny when you're hiding something." Jenny said flatly.  
  
Gabi made a face. "So do Yuy. You, I mean."  
  
They both paused, unsure of what and whatnot to say. If they said too much, or too little, they'd both know something was up. There were disadvantages to being so close to each other. Reading each other's thoughts was one of them.  
  
"Ne, An- Gabi?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I'll talk to you later, ne? Ja."  
  
  
  
Jenny hung the phone up with a long sigh. She felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around, ready to sidekick whoever was standing there.  
  
Duo put his hands up in defense. "Just me, Destined Soldier," he said as he handed her her tea.  
  
"Sorry. Old habits coming back into play."  
  
"I noticed."  
  
Jenny took the tea and sat down on the bed, pulling the covers around her. "This is a lot to take in, Duo-kun."  
  
"I know, and I'm sorry. I still need your help."  
  
"Yeah, I know, Maxwell. That's why I'm helping. Let's get going."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Chicago."  
  
  
  
The plane landed without hindrance at JFK airport in New York City, New York. She'd never been to New York before, although she'd always wanted to come. She bought a to-go mug of tea from an airport vendor and headed for a taxi station. It was nine o' clock (she lost an hour) now, and her return flight didn't leave until four-thirty so she'd be home by six.  
  
She fought her way through the crowd to the outside. Carefully, she hailed a taxi. One finally stopped for her and she hopped in.  
  
"Where can I take you, miss?" the cabby asked cheerfully.  
  
"Luck Inc. Headquarters downtown, please." She replied.  
  
"No prob-lem. Say, this your first time in New York?" he asked amiably.  
  
"Yes, it is. I'm only here for one day, though."  
  
"Really? That's a shame. It's a beautiful city if you know your way around. My name's Bing." He smiled.  
  
"As in Bing Crosby?" she asked.  
  
He ducked his head with a goofy grin. "Yeah, my mom was a fan. You going to a job interview at Luck?"  
  
"No, not really. An old friend of mine works there and I'd like to see him again." She said with a beam.  
  
"How high up is 'e in the company?" Bing asked.  
  
"Well, if you can keep a secret, he's Mr. Vincent himself." She replied.  
  
He whistled. "Hoo-boy. You've got yourself a friend indeed. Hope you have an appointment though. I've ushered three unscheduled job applies there and back home just 'cause they didn't schedule an appointment."  
  
"I wouldn't worry about that. He and I were close. He was a close friend with my husband as well." She responded.  
  
"Well, that's good to hear. Not enough people have friends in this world anymore. Here we are! Now, if you ever need Bing, just give me a ring!" he grinned and pulled up to the curb.  
  
She laughed and got out, handing him the pay and a nice tip. "I'll remember. It was nice meeting you, Bing."  
  
"Likewise, Miss. Ciao!" He drove off in search of other riders.  
  
She stood on the curb and looked up and Luck Inc. Headquarters. It stood high among the other skyscrapers. She suddenly felt very lost. Even so, she smiled to herself. She had at least one friend in New York. And would he ever be surprised.  
  
She entered the building and glanced around at all the people scurrying hither, thither, and yon. There was one large, circular desk in the center of the downstairs floor. Classical music played from speakers mounted on the pillars, fountains adorned the four corners, and padded seats and potted plants were scattered among the tile. Four secretaries were seated at the desk, and she made her way towards them.  
  
She straightened her black blouse, smoothed her khaki jeans, and shook her curls held by two butterfly pins. "Ahem."  
  
One of the secretaries slid her roll-around chair to where she was standing. The secretary pushed up her glasses and stared down at her. "Can I help you?"  
  
"I hope so. I need to see Mr. Vincent." She said.  
  
"Mr. Vincent? Do you have an appointment?" the secretary asked.  
  
"No I don't, this trip was last minute." The taller girl replied.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ma'am. There's no possible way Mr. Vincent can see you right now." She replied.  
  
"Could you just see if he's available? Please? This is very important." Anna insisted.  
  
The secretary looked over her shoulder. "All right. Go over to Beatrice in the blue sweater and she'll take care of you."  
  
"Thank you." She said. She moved around the counter.  
  
Beatrice smiled at her and placed a hand over her earpiece. "Yes, Ms. Catalonia? There's a girl here that wants to see Mr. Vincent. No, she doesn't have an appointment."  
  
Her ears pricked up at the name. "Dorothy? Dorothy Catalonia?" she exclaimed.  
  
Beatrice looked a little stunned. "Yes, Ms. Catalonia she said your name. Give her the headphone? All right, just a second." She took off her piece and handed it to Anna.  
  
She took it and placed in on her head. "Dorothy? Is that you?"  
  
There was a pause at the other end. "Miss Anna?"  
  
"Hiya, Dorothy. Long time no see." She returned.  
  
"How? How in the world are you here?" Dorothy asked, stunned.  
  
"I need to see Mr. Vincent. Is that possible?" Anna said.  
  
"Of course. Let me speak to Beatrice." Dorothy said.  
  
Anna handed the headphone back.  
  
Beatrice nodded, then looked at Anna. "Ms. Catalonia wishes you to join her on the gallery level by private elevator. Enjoy your stay at Luck Inc. Headquarters."  
  
An elevator appeared behind one of the fountains. Anna nodded her thanks to Beatrice and headed towards the mysterious lift. Once inside the doors slid shut and she began her assent to the sixteenth floor.  
  
The doors opened with a whoosh and Anna stepped out into a brightly lit art gallery. Paintings hung on the walls, and replicas of famous statues centered the floor. A few feet away from her stood Dorothy Catalonia.  
  
She came forward and greeted Anna with a hug. "Miss Anna, it's so good to see you again."  
  
Anna returned the hug and pulled back. "Likewise, Dorothy, it has been quite a while."  
  
Dorothy smiled and took her by the arm. "Come on, I'll give you a quick tour before he gets in."  
  
Anna let herself be led into the small museum. "It's just like Quatre to have something like this in a place of business."  
  
"Yes. It's a wonderful collection. We have a larger one at the office building at home, back on L4." Dorothy replied.  
  
Her brown haired companion noted the word we and looked for a wedding band. She saw none and chanced a question. "So how long have you two been here?"  
  
The blonde woman smiled again. "Quatre's been here almost a year, and he asked me to come five months ago. Miss Anna, how did you find out he was here?"  
  
"A perfect little bird told me." Anna said.  
  
Dorothy nodded. "I see. Mr. Yuy said something about bringing two old friends into the plot, but I had no idea it would be you. It's quite a surprise. I think it will do Quatre a world of good to see you. He hasn't been himself lately."  
  
Anna frowned. "What's wrong with him?"  
  
"Well, with what happened to Mr. Chang and Mr. Barton, and the stress of running two companies and fighting off the beginning of a war in two worlds instead of one…it's left him quite tired." Dorothy said, a touch of sadness in her tone.  
  
Anna stopped walking. "What happened to Mr. Chang and Mr. Barton?"  
  
Dorothy also stopped, surprised. "Heero didn't tell you? I thought surely he would." Just then, a pager at her side went off. "Oh, Quatre's here. He's on his way up. I didn't tell him it was you, so it'll add a little suspense. I'm afraid I have work to do, but I'll see you soon. It was good talking to you, Miss Anna."  
  
"It was good seeing you again, Dorothy." Anna replied.  
  
Dorothy left by a different elevator. Anna was alone in the giant gallery. A cloudy overhang drifted by casting haunted shadows on the pictures. She stopped in front of one. It was a bright painting of a house and an open window. A shadow was painted over the house and window to look like a tree. The swoosh of doors alerted her to someone else's presence. She half turned her head and caught a glimpse of the golden-haired boy in the corner of her eye.  
  
Only he wasn't a boy anymore, as she was not a girl. He'd done a great deal of growing up since she'd seen him last. He was taller, more masculine. He still had the soft locks of sunshine and the deep aqua eyes that shone when he smiled. He wore a white dress shirt and khaki slacks.  
  
"I'm terribly sorry to keep you waiting, Miss…" still the soft voice and gentle politeness.  
  
Anna returned her focus to the painting. "I always loved this photo. You always hated it. Why do you hang it here?"  
  
His brow furrowed slightly as he tried to figure out the question. "Opinions change as one gets older. When I was young I thought it symbolized the shadow on a person's life. As I got older I think it means the shade that one hides in during their life. I keep it there as a reminder not to hide." He answered. He came to stand next to her. "You look very familiar to me. Like a page from the past." He said softly.  
  
Anna smiled and looked at him. "Pages of the past can be hardest to read." She turned and threw her arms around him.  
  
"It's so good to see you again, Quatre."  
  
He sucked in his breath and stiffened in her grasp. "It can't be." Slowly he brought his arms up. "Anna?"  
  
"Hai. Never thought you'd see me again, ne?" she smiled.  
  
He pulled away slightly, tears glistening in both of their eyes. He hugged her again. "I don't believe it!"  
  
"Me neither! You never call, you never write." She laughed slightly.  
  
He laughed too and pulled back. "Come. We have much to discuss and even more to catch up on."  
  
  
  
Chase stepped into the townhouse and called out. "I don't think she's home from work yet. She stays kind of late some days, so it shouldn't be a problem for you to be here."  
  
Duo nodded as he looked around. "I like this. It's nice."  
  
"Not as nice as the old cabin or Quatre's mansion."  
  
"True. I haven't been there in so long. Either place. Quatre sold the cabin right after y'all left. They couldn't handle the memories, I guess."  
  
Chase nodded. She glanced around the room, making sure no stray articles of clothing were strewn out for wandering eyes to see. "Make yourself comfy."  
  
"I want to look around."  
  
"Be my guest."  
  
Duo nodded and walked around the house. He stopped when he got to the master bedroom. "Who drew this?"  
  
Chase blushed slightly. "That would be my work. It's from a series I do called Emerald Dawn. It's become a big Shojo hit over in Japan."  
  
Duo grinned. "Our little Chase has left us to become a manga artist!" he said dramatically, faking a tear.  
  
"Oh shut up!" The petite woman grinned. "Just don't go through Anna- chan's manuscript. She's worked really hard to get that in shape to send to the publisher. She's an awesome writer."  
  
"You two have made lives for yourselves here," Duo said sadly.  
  
Chase refused to meet his sad eyes, in fear that he would see her tears.  
  
He walked over and placed a hand on the rim of her glasses. "Why do you wear these?"  
  
"'Cause I can't see without them. I'm different here, boyo. I'm not smart and strong. I'm not pretty. Stars, I'm surprised you recognized me."  
  
Duo looked shocked for a moment. "Chase? Is that really you?" he asked, shaking her by the shoulders slightly. "The Chase I know NEVER spoke that way about herself out loud to people. NEVER. Has that much changed?"  
  
Chase sank to the floor, suddenly feeling small and helpless. "Yes. So much has. So very, very much."  
  
Duo smiled and hugged her. "Aw, c'mon, Chase! Cheer up! You just need to jog back some of those old skills. You'll do great. You'll be the same 'ol Chase we know and love!"  
  
The young artist smiled. "Arigato, Duo-kun." 


	4. There's Good News and There's Bad News

1.1 Chapter Four: There's Good News and There's Bad News  
  
Quatre and Anna could barely suppress grins as they ordered from the outdoor café menu for lunch. As soon as the waiter left they began laughing.  
  
"I can't believe it. You've been here a year, I support your products in my classroom, I buy one of your own palm planner thingies and I don't even know it's you! You were here all along!" Anna exclaimed.  
  
Quatre laughed. "And don't think it's been easy. It was Heero's idea to go ahead and get a foot in this world. As soon as we found out OWN had at least two militia groups already formed here we got here as soon as possible. It had to be subtle at first, but we grew quickly."  
  
Anna waved the spoon from her iced tea at him. "Tell me about it. You know I own stock in this little nest egg of yours?"  
  
He laughed again. "Seriously? I can give you a bonus addition if you like."  
  
"Oh, yeah. That hits the tabloids. Big executive in cohorts with part time teacher." She made a face. "That would go over big."  
  
He smiled. "I missed you guys."  
  
"We missed you too. Never stopped thinking about you, although we haven' t talked about it in years." She sighed.  
  
"Really? How come?" he asked.  
  
She shrugged. "I really don't know. We talked about it for a while, and then, it was like we couldn't anymore. Maybe it hurt to much."  
  
"That I can understand. You can't believe how awkward it was a week after Duo and Heero came back. It was like now we had nothing to do or say. So we all went our separate ways. We wrote, but it wasn't like before."  
  
Anna nodded. "It wasn't easy going through high school a thousand miles away from the only person who understood you. Chase and I stuck together all the way through college till today. The Jaws of Life couldn't get us apart."  
  
"They never could." Quatre grinned.  
  
She chuckled. "No kidding." She paused, and let the smile slip off her face. "Quatre, Dorothy mentioned something about Wufei and Trowa. What was that about?"  
  
The already fair man paled. "Heero didn't tell you?"  
  
Anna shook her head. "We haven't had all the time in the world for ten years of catching up."  
  
"He should have told you. You deserve to hear this from him."  
  
"I'd rather hear it from you." Anna said quietly.  
  
He sighed. "Trowa…Well, Trowa is Trowa. I didn't think much of it when he disappeared with the circus one day. We kept it touch now and then, but about two years ago it tapered off completely. The last know correspondence I got from him was from south France. I haven't heard from him since."  
  
She blinked in quiet shock. "Oh, Quatre. That's not like him, to cut off all ties with you. You don't think he's…"  
  
"No, Anna. Trowa is very much alive, wherever he is." Quatre assured her.  
  
She nodded. "Maybe Heero knows where he is and isn't saying?"  
  
"It's possible. Contact with anybody besides Dorothy hasn't been really possible since I took on Lucky Vincent."  
  
"I'll have to ask him. What about Wufei?" she asked. She half expected the same thing. The justice-craving soldier was known for his disappearing acts so he could meditate.  
  
"Anna…" Quatre sighed.  
  
Suddenly she felt she was wrong. "Nani? Quatre? What happened to him?"  
  
"Anna, Wufei died four months ago, here in this world." He said softly and sadly.  
  
She thought she was going to be sick. "Here? Wufei was here?"  
  
He nodded. "It was unexpected, to say the least. It wasn't even an attack by OWN, which threw us. It was just an accident."  
  
"Where? How?" she whispered.  
  
"In Chicago." He said with a quiet sigh.  
  
The feeling intensified. "Oh, no. Oh, heaven no. Tell me it wasn't an L accident."  
  
He cocked his head to the side. "Yes, it was. Why do you say that?"  
  
"I was there. There was a crowd, someone called for a doctor and I stepped forward. I could see instantly that there wasn't much to be done but I did all I could. He even woke up and looked at me. I never even recognized him. I watched him die. After all we'd been through and I didn't even know." She answered in a horrified whisper. "I just thought it was another poor helpless guy who got caught on the rail."  
  
Quatre's eyes had widened continuously throughout her description. "Oh, Anna. Gomen ne. None of us knew." He reached over and squeezed her hand.  
  
She brought herself back from her flashback and forced a smile. "The twists fate throws to our paths, ne, Quatre-chan?"  
  
"Hai, Anna-chan. There are many indeed." He smiled gently. "It will be okay. We'll win like we always do."  
  
She returned the honest grin. "Yeah. The good guys always win." She looked at her watch. "Oh, Quatre, my flight leaves soon. I've got to get going."  
  
"Here, I'll take you myself. Let's go."  
  
They paid the bill and headed out.  
  
The reunited friends hugged one last time at the gate.  
  
"Gosh, Quatre, I wish I had more time." Anna sighed.  
  
"I know, but you'll come back to New York, and I'll be out to Chicago for business meetings. Now that we know each other's there, we won't lose contact this time. Right?" he asked.  
  
"Right. No way am I losing all you guys all over again. I missed ya, Quatre."  
  
"I missed you too. When you can, give my regards to Chase."  
  
"I will. See you soon, Quatre. Good luck."  
  
"See you. Good luck to you too, Anna."  
  
She waved from the airport tunnel, and vanished from Quatre's sight into the plane.  
  
"Be careful, Anna. These could be dangerous times for all of us." He sighed to himself. His cell phone rang.  
  
"Hey, Dorothy, yeah. It went well. It's like old times again. Yes, I'm on my way back to the office. What do you say to dinner?"  
  
Anna wound up with no one sitting next to her the whole flight home. It was a mixed blessing. It gave her room to think, but she secretly wished for a distraction. She got to O'Hare safely and took a taxi to the street outside the townhouse complex. She paid the man, noting he wasn't as friendly as Bing, and walked down to the Chinese Park by the river.  
  
She sat sullenly on a bench in the temple look-a-like and tried not to cry. "Shouldn't have come here, of all places." She muttered. She looked over to the playground and narrowed her eyes. There was a man sitting on a swing. He had a canvas bag next to him. He swayed, looked miserable, and looked like Heero. She got up and walked back around the path that led into the playground area. She plopped on a swing next to him.  
  
"Hey. Whatcha doing out here?" she asked softly.  
  
He sat, just watching the twilight of sunset before he answered. "I don' t know. I just couldn't go back without you there. I was afraid that she'd be there."  
  
She nodded.  
  
"How'd it go with Quatre?" he asked.  
  
"Good. It was nice to catch up with him." She replied.  
  
"You know about Trowa and Wufei."  
  
She blanched. "Yeah."  
  
"Hn. Good."  
  
"You could have warned me." She said.  
  
"Quatre's better at explaining stuff like that." He responded.  
  
"I see."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Some things never change. Let's go home." She said.  
  
"Okay."  
  
They walked along until the reached the gate to the complex. Anna entered her code and led him past the garages and up to the courtyards. They walked on the concrete path past all the downstairs townhouses until they got to Chase and Anna's. She frowned.  
  
"Did you leave a light on inside?" she asked.  
  
"Iie."  
  
A shadow appeared on the blinds in the form of a girl. She pulled them back and half-turned. Anna recognized her.  
  
Heero tilted his head as he studied the strawberry blonde hair and slight form from the ground. "Who's that?" he asked.  
  
Anna glanced at him. "Heero Yuy, I present to you, your wife."  
  
  
  
"So when's Anna suppose to be home?" Duo asked.  
  
"I don't know," Chase responded, pacing back and forth. "She's usually home by this time."  
  
Duo arched an eyebrow. "She'll be home soon, then. She probably just stopped off for something."  
  
"Does this OWN group know about us?"  
  
Duo's eyes dropped. "Hai, Chase. Sort of, anyway. They know the two girls that piloted the Gundams 06 and 07 are in this world, living here. I don't know how much else they know."  
  
Chase nodded and heard the door unlock. Her head spun towards it and she grinned. "And she's here."  
  
"Be right back," Duo said as he disappeared down the hallway.  
  
The door opened and Anna stepped through. "Konban wa," she said, using the familiar Japanese word. "Where've you been?"  
  
Anna smiled. "Somewhere. I have a surprise for you." She stepped all the way in and was followed by a man.  
  
Chase looked him over. He wore a dark shirt and jeans. He was tall, but his eyes looked familiar. The young woman took a quick intake of air and began to shake slightly.  
  
"Konban wa, Chase," Heero said. "It's been a while."  
  
Suddenly her knees felt weak and they gave way. Chase tumbled to the floor; unable to stop herself in the state of shock she was in. Heero rushed over and picked her up gently. "Chase?"  
  
Seeing Duo was one thing. It was strange, but it was completely different than seeing her dead husband. She pushed him away slightly and stood, glaring. "Ten years," she hissed.  
  
Heero's eyes widened slightly as he realized what she meant, and how angry she was. "Chase-chan…"  
  
"Ten years. Ten years that you were alive and you never came for me." Her voice was soft as her mind recalled Duo's story of what happened. He had never mentioned Heero being brought back, so she hadn't even hoped for it.  
  
He reached his hand for her, trying to calm her down. She slapped it away. "You were alive ten years! Duo told me what happened and I didn't expect you to be alive. I thought that if you were you would have come for me! I KNEW you would have come for me!" Tears stung her eyes. She was thankful she wore glasses now because they hid tearstains. "So why didn't you?! Why are you here now? Did Relena finally leave you be so you thought about your wife?! Is that what happened?" She found herself against the wall, tears falling down her face.  
  
"Chase, stop it," Anna demanded. "Stop acting like you don't want him here. I know you well enough to know that you do. You still love him, and don't act like you don't. You love him, and that's the reason you turned down those guys at the party the other night." She paused. "Did you say Duo?"  
  
"Yes, she said my name." Duo appeared off the stairs and stood in the hall.  
  
Anna felt time slow to an indefinite stop. Her breath caught in her throat and her heart constricted in her chest. She thought she'd been ready for this, ready to see him again. Ten years, ten decades, what did it matter? It mattered. She'd heard it from Heero and believed him, but now that her husband –very much alive- stood in front of her, the memories of the day he died flooded her mind.  
  
"Oh my God." There was no irreverence in the whisper.  
  
"Anna…" he said softly. He took a step forward.  
  
She plastered herself against the door. She could now understand the fear, and the anger that Chase felt. "Duo, you- you're alive."  
  
He nodded and took another step.  
  
"I told you he was." Heero said.  
  
She tried to control her breathing. "I know." She shook her head. "I don't believe it."  
  
"You're not the only one." Chase murmured.  
  
He was getting closer to her and the only thing Anna could think to do was run.  
  
So she did.  
  
And the sun fell below the horizon, leaving two pairs of torn lovers, each wondering what to do now. 


	5. Decisions to Be Made

1.1 Chapter Five: Decisions to be Made  
  
  
  
Chase found herself sitting by the pool sobbing openly into her hands. She rocked back and forth on the chair. The sound of footsteps caught her attention, but when she looked, no one was there. She sighed and looked up at the stars.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Chase's eyes darted back to the young man standing behind her. "Heero…"  
  
He nodded. "When I first met you, you asked me if I thought the earth was as beautiful from the stars as the stars were from earth. Yes. The earth is beautiful."  
  
"You really are Heero," Chase said quietly. "Why did you come back? Just to leave me again? I just got you out of my dreams. Did you know I woke up every night with dreams of that final battle? Every night up until a couple years ago when I put it behind me."  
  
Heero sighed as he sat next to her. "I'm sorry I hurt you, Chase- chan."  
  
"You swore you never would."  
  
"I know, and I'm sorry that I did. Please forgive me?"  
  
Chase sniffed, trying to retain some dignity. "I suppose… we're not legally married in this world," she said sadly.  
  
Heero smiled and reached into his pocket, pulling something out. It was a small object, and too hard to see in the dimming light. Chase felt him slip it on her left hand's ring finger. "It's your wedding ring," he said slowly. "You… left it on my casket…" (C/A/N: And Amanda gave me a hard time about that one…)  
  
Chase reached down and felt his hand, noticing for the first time that he still wore his ring.  
  
"I never loved Relena, Chase-chan. I had very little to do with her after you left. I couldn't get you out of my mind. I would have come sooner, but I couldn't find a way. I'm sorry…"  
  
Chase laid her head against him, hugging him. "S'okay, boyo," she whispered drowsily into his shirt. "You're here. That's all that matters…"  
  
Heero smiled and hugged her close. Then he realized she had fallen asleep. He chuckled lightly and picked her up. "C'mon, Chase-chan. Let's get you home. I'm sure you've had a wild day."  
  
  
  
Two hours had passed and still Anna was running. She had hit downtown half an hour ago, and she could feel Duo behind her. He was at a major disadvantage to her because he didn't know Chicago half as well as she did. This was her home, her heart, she knew it and knew it well. The only thing keeping him in tune to where she was happened to be the almost supernatural connection they shared. It had been severed ten years ago. Seeing each other again had ignited feelings they both thought they'd smothered.  
  
Anna slammed to a stop at the corner of Lake Shore Drive. She had no clue where she was going, and she was going to drop dead if she didn't stop to catch her breath.  
  
"Gomen ne, Duo-chan. I just can't deal with it right now. I just can't. It's all to much, to fast." She panted.  
  
A sudden thought struck her. After Heero and Duo's funeral and after the gundam boys had decided that they should go home, she had given Wufei both her star and her wedding band. He'd promised her he'd always wear them, no matter what. One thing Anna knew about Wufei was that he was a man of his word. He would have been wearing them the night he died. She angrily brushed a tear away and headed towards Rush Presbyterian Hospital with a grim determination. She was not going to let her life get scrambled again and not do anything about it. This time, Anna was taking charge. 


	6. Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave

1.1 Chapter Six: Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave  
  
The tall man watched over his trainees as the practiced target shooting on the field. "Good." He called. "Peter, straighten up. If you don't shoot with good back alignment you'll miss every time." He eyed every one of the shots. All fifteen hit dead on. "Excellent. One more round. Headshots only. Reload and shoot on my word."  
  
A dark figure strode gracefully up beside him. "How are they coming along?"  
  
"Very well. These are as good as the last one's I sent you. They're all a perfect aim." The tall man replied.  
  
"Good. Very good. Please, Mr. Barton, give the word."  
  
"Fire!" he called.  
  
Fifteen shots rang out, and fifteen dummy heads rolled.  
  
The dark man let a smile curl at his lips. "Beautifully done, Mr. Barton. I knew I could count on you. All of the cadets come out perfect, and you've trained over half the commander's army."  
  
Trowa Barton shrugged. "It is my pleasure to serve her. My time is yours."  
  
"I'll report this to the Lady. You'll be in for a commendation soon. It would be an honor to serve with you at the palace headquarters." The man said.  
  
"I like training them. I know they'll come out alive if they follow my training." Trowa said seriously.  
  
"Even against gundam pilots?" the man asked a teasing touch to his tone.  
  
"Especially against gundam pilots. What is a gundam pilot without a gundam, anyway? They were all destroyed." Trowa said.  
  
"Touché, Mr. Barton, touché. I'll go make that report. I'll be seeing you." The man said. He smiled that crooked smile one more time, and departed.  
  
Trowa returned his focus to his trainees. "Good. You passed the General's inspection with flying colors. Let's call it a day. We'll practice night targets after midnight tonight, so rest up. Dismissed."  
  
Fifteen loyal voices echoed across the field. "Yessir!"  
  
The young doctor and part time teacher walked brusquely into the basement of the hospital. She flashed her badge at the security booth.  
  
"Go on in, Doc." The guard said.  
  
She moved inside pushed open a door that said "Records".  
  
Inside the room were literally thousands of files. Near the front was a computer desk, complete with updated computer. A fellow doctor came in.  
  
"Oh, Doctor Estes, I presume." She said amiably. "What brings you here to the grim world of the mortuary?"  
  
"Hello, Collins. How are you?" Anna replied.  
  
"Good and cold, as usual. And you?" Collins responded.  
  
"Dressed, stressed and ready to go." She said dryly.  
  
"Ah, your motto from clinical. Back to haunt you, eh? Can I be of help?" Collins asked.  
  
"Actually, if you're not busy, could you look up a patient for me?" Anna said.  
  
Collins shrugged. "No problem. My patients don't exactly have pressing matters. What's the name?"  
  
"Chang, Wufei. He came in here four months ago. Died, supposedly from L accident injuries. I need to know the time of death, and what he really died from." Anna said with a sigh.  
  
Collins sat at the computer. "No problem. Was he cute?"  
  
"Not when he came in. He was very handsome before."  
  
"Yeah, getting hit with a train will do that to you. I remember hearing about that guy. Don't remember if I did the autopsy on him or not. I'll check. You a close, personal friend of his?" Collins asked. She said the last with a very suggestive tone.  
  
"Maybe, none of your business, girl. I'm going to see if his personal belongings are still here on file." The brown-haired girl said.  
  
"Kay."  
  
The file room fell silent as both women got to work on their individual tasks. Anna went over both the ch's and the wu's, but no certificate of death for Chang Wufei could be found. "Darn it." She muttered.  
  
"Yo! Girl, have I got news for you. Get over here." Collins called.  
  
Anna made her way to the computer desk. "What is it?"  
  
"Chang Wufei. Black hair, black eyes, late twenties, about five feet eleven inches, one hundred and sixteen pounds…any of that sound familiar to you?" Collins asked.  
  
"The name, the hair and eye color, and the age match. It's him. When and how did he die?" Anna asked, bracing herself.  
  
"Get this, he didn't." Collins said with glee.  
  
"What?!? I saw him! I was the only medical person on site!" Anna exclaimed.  
  
"You only assumed he died, right? They didn't call you with a follow- up I'm sure. He checked out with a clean bill of health a month and a half after coming in. He's out there somewhere." Collins informed the shocked girl. "You okay?"  
  
"No, no I'm not okay! My dead husbands back from the grave, I watch another of my closest friends die without knowing it, and he's alive, my best friends husband is alive after assumedly being dead for ten years, and my past is coming back and slapping me repeatedly in the face! I am anything but okay!" She cried in frustration.  
  
Meg Collins stared at her blankly for a moment. "Wow. Maybe we should switch jobs."  
  
Anna groaned and sank into a chair. "Oh, please. That's all I need. I'm surrounded by dead people enough as it is."  
  
Meg laughed. "Yeah, but I get paid for it."  
  
The phone on the desk rang. Collins picked it up. "Yeah, no, I don't think anyone's down here by that name. Not alive, anyway. Let me check. Doctor Estes is down here, she might know." Meg put her hand over the receiver. "A guy with long hair is up at registration asking for a Anna Maxwell. Know him?"  
  
She sighed. "Yeah. I do. Tell him she'll be right up."  
  
Meg relayed the information. "What's that about?" she asked.  
  
Anna smiled weakly. "Time to face the music I composed."  
  
  
  
Chase's eyes fluttered open when Heero set her down. "Anou, Heero- chan, what time is it?"  
  
"Nearly nine."  
  
Chase nodded drowsily. "Okay. Is Anna back yet?"  
  
"No."  
  
Chase opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off by the loud ringing of the phone. She reached over from her bed and picked it up. "Hello?"  
  
"Hello. I'm looking for Chase, Anna, or Heero…" the voice on the other end of the line said.  
  
Chase narrowed her eyes. "This is Chase."  
  
Pause.  
  
"Chase-chan? Moshi moshi, Chase-chan!"  
  
That voice… So oddly familiar…  
  
"Quatre?"  
  
"Yes. Hello! I was hoping to ketch you there. I hope I didn't just ruin a surprise."  
  
"No, Quatre, I knew Heero was here. He came walking through my door a couple hours ago." She paused, realization hitting her. "QUATRE?! What the heck are you doing here?!"  
  
There was a chuckled from the other end. "Something Anna didn't tell you. I suppose you've heard of Lucky Vincent?"  
  
"Yes. I've got one of his laptops to do my art on."  
  
Quatre chuckled again. "That would be me, Chase-chan."  
  
There was a long whistle from the former female pilot. "I know one of the most influential men on the planet…"  
  
"Chase, three plane tickets should be arriving soon. I need for you, Anna, and Heero to come here to New York."  
  
"What about Duo?"  
  
"Duo's there?" He sounded shocked.  
  
"Yup. Came crashing my party the other night."  
  
"Then I'll have it arranged for an other ticket. Anyway, I need you all in New York by tomorrow night. I have news something big may be going down. There's a party that the company is having that I've got as a cover to meet with all of you. Formal wear, Chase-chan. I'm afraid you'll have to wear a dress."  
  
The young artist sighed in annoyance. "I'm sure I can dig up something, Quatre-kun. What time is our flight?"  
  
"It leaves around ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Tell Anna I'm sorry she's been running all over the country."  
  
"Will do. Ja ne."  
  
"Ja ne."  
  
She hung up the phone and received a look from Heero. "We're going to New York, boyo."  
  
  
  
Meg dragged Anna along the hallway of the hospital's ground floor, where registration was. Anna tugged harder and harder the closer they got to the front desk.  
  
"What is the matter with you, Estes? You said he was attractive!" Collins insisted.  
  
"Did I mention he was my dead husband back from the grave like Lazarus?" Anna whimpered.  
  
"YOU'RE MARRIED?!?" Collins came to an abrupt halt.  
  
"Shush!" Anna hissed. "Yes. No. Well, sort of."  
  
Collins almost laughed. "Six years with you in med school and you kept a husband under your hat. No wonder you never dated."  
  
She glared at her. "It's a little more complicated than that."  
  
"Like what?" Meg asked exasperatedly. "You love him?"  
  
"Of course I do."  
  
"He loves you?"  
  
"I'm assuming so."  
  
"What's your problem, girl?" Collins exclaimed.  
  
"I haven't seen him in ten years." Anna said flatly.  
  
"You got married at FIFTEEN?!?"  
  
"No, Meg. We were seventeen." Anna sighed.  
  
Meg stared at her. "I know I was bad at math, but wouldn't that make you twenty-seven?"  
  
Anna groaned. "Like I said, it's a little more complicated than it's worth."  
  
"You are twenty-five, aren't you?" Meg asked.  
  
"Yes, Collins, I'm twenty-five. I don't have time to explain."  
  
"Oookay, whatever. I'm going to go get a camera for this reunion, and you go around that corner and see him! I bet he's dying to see you again." She took off down the hall.  
  
"That was a very bad use of wording!" she called after the woman.  
  
Anna prepared herself to go around the corner and face Duo. Her cell phone rang.  
  
"Maxwell. NO! No, I'm not, I'm Gabi Estes and I live on Dearborn Court."  
  
"Anna? It's Quatre…" the voice filtered over the line.  
  
"Oh, Quatre, I don't know what I am anymore." Anna said dejectedly.  
  
Quatre laughed gently. "I wouldn't worry. Follow your heart and your soul and you'll figure it out."  
  
"Yeah, I hope so." Anna sighed.  
  
"I wanted to see if Chase told you_" her phone clicking shut cut him off.  
  
A hand closed over hers and lips pressed firmly against her own. She recoiled in shock, her eyes flying open. "Ohm gosh, Duo…what the heck are you doing?" she murmured.  
  
"Wondering if you missed me." He murmured back.  
  
Her eyes became teary and she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him again. "Yeah, you know, I kind of did." She whispered.  
  
He hugged her to him. "I missed you too. I thought I lost you."  
  
"I thought I lost you too, boyo."  
  
He grinned and held up a perfectly round, gold sphere between his forefinger and his thumb. "I remember there being quite a crowd around the last time I asked. But, will you take this ring back?"  
  
"Could I take you back instead?" she teased.  
  
He slipped the ring back into place. "All yours."  
  
She smiled, tears glistening on her cheeks, and leaned her head on his shoulder.  
  
A camera flash went off behind them.  
  
"Meg!" 


	7. On the Road Again

Chapter Seven: On the Road Again  
  
  
  
Chase paced around the house, looking for her sketchbook. "Heero?"  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"Look under the stack of drawings on the table farthest from the window in the master bedroom."  
  
"What am I looking for?"  
  
"Thick sketchbook. It's about half full."  
  
He nodded, even though she couldn't see him, and then began searching for the item. He found it and began flipping through the pages. He stopped at a sketch. "Chase-chan?" he called.  
  
The petite woman stuck her head around the corner. "Yeah?"  
  
"What's this?" He held up the book, showing her a picture.  
  
Chase took in a deep breath. "That's an old sketchbook, Heero. I did that when I first got into college. Anna has a larger one in her room. It's… y'all."  
  
Heero nodded, replacing the book where he had found it. "I noticed that."  
  
"This is what I was looking for," Chase said, changing the subject and picking up a thicker book. Pages scattered from it. "Blast," she muttered.  
  
Heero cocked an eyebrow. "You do this for a living?"  
  
"Yes. I love it."  
  
Heero turned, looking dejected. "I suppose… you'd never give up that job, ne?"  
  
"I've worked really hard for it," the young woman answered, packing a few more items into the bag she had all ready overstuffed.  
  
Heero nodded, not realizing she hadn't understood what he meant.  
  
Chase looked down at the scattered papers that lay strewn over Anna's desk. "I wonder if she wants to take this. We might be there a while."  
  
"Ask her when she comes. For now, don't over pack."  
  
"Yeah, I guess." She wrinkled her nose, an old habit of frustration, as she shuffled through her art supplies. She stiffened slightly, and then relaxed as she felt arms encircle her around her waist.  
  
"Chase-chan, are you done yet?"  
  
"Impatient?"  
  
"Been around you too long," he said with a brief smile. He pulled her closer. "Anou, Chase-chan?"  
  
"Hmm?" she asked as she leaned back on him.  
  
"What did Anna mean when she said 'you turned down those guys the other night at the party'?"  
  
Chase turned so she was facing her love. "Nothing much. Just some guys. She gets it too. We both do. I didn't date much during high school and college because every time I tried to find someone I thought I liked, he made me think of you…"  
  
Heero looked down to see tears welling up in her dark eyes and pulled her close. "Chase-chan, I won't leave you again. I won't hurt you like I did. I'm sorry."  
  
"I know, boyo. It's okay."  
  
Heero leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips. The romantic moment was cut short at the sound of the door opening. "That would be the Maxwells," Heero said.  
  
"Hai. Let's go tell them where we'll be going."  
  
Duo walked into the living room first. "Hello? Anybody home?"  
  
Chase and Heero came downstairs. Heero looked around. "You didn't find her?"  
  
"Oh, he found me alright, rascal that he is." Anna said, shutting the door with her foot.  
  
Chase grinned. "So, are we all together now?"  
  
Anna laughed through her nose. "Yeah, we're all in one piece."  
  
"What's in the box?" Heero asked.  
  
Anna glanced down at the box in her hands. It was a Nike shoebox that looked like it was from their high-school days. "Um… It's just some papers I picked up at the hospital. It's raining, and I didn't want the files to get wet."  
  
Chase blinked. "The hospital? Why were you there?"  
  
"I was looking up Wufei's file." Anna said.  
  
"He's here too?" Chase asked incredulously.  
  
"Iie, Chase-chan. Wufei died four months ago." Heero said.  
  
"No he didn't." Anna cut in.  
  
"Yes he did."  
  
"No he didn't."  
  
"Yes he did."  
  
"Nooo, he didn't."  
  
"Anna! He did!" Heero snapped.  
  
"No he didn't." She waved the file in front of his face. "He recovered and walked away a month and a half after he was admitted."  
  
Duo and Heero exchanged glances. "Well, it's great that he's okay, but I wonder which side he's on." The former Deathscythe pilot murmured.  
  
Heero nodded. "Anything's possible."  
  
"Now what are you talking about?" Chase asked.  
  
Duo shook his head. "Just simple speculation. Nothing more. Now, if I'm not mistaken, Anna still has to pack to catch the evening flight."  
  
"Nani?! Another unplanned airplane trip?" she cried.  
  
"Hai. Quatre's having a company party tomorrow night and we're needed to be on hand. The tickets came, and they're only good for tomorrow morning's flight to New York."  
  
"And it's formal. We both have to have at least one dress each." Chase moaned.  
  
"What, we can't share a dress and call it a night?" Anna teased.  
  
Her friend glared at her.  
  
"Well, I for one will have to buy something there tomorrow. I don't have anything suitable for something Quatre would throw together. We're talking the short black dress formal, right?" Anna asked.  
  
"Probably. For you two, anyway." Heero agreed.  
  
"I'd say so. I'd hate to see what you look like in pantyhose." Anna quipped.  
  
"Go pack!" he growled.  
  
She laughed, and she and Duo disappeared upstairs.  
  
"I wonder what's really in that box." Chase mused. "She's still a terrible liar."  
  
Heero smirked. "She's your friend. I've heard you pick up traits from people you are around the most…" He started off for the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower before we leave, and with Duo here, I have a feeling I need to take it now."  
  
Chase snorted. "Heero no baka. I'm a very good liar."  
  
The two heard Duo's choked back laugh from a ways away. "Keep telling yourself that!"  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chase stepped off the plane and glanced around. "You said they know about us?"  
  
Duo nodded. "Not much. They know more about the male pilots than ya'll, since they had no way of finding you."  
  
"Hey, Chase?" Anna asked. "What do you say to a shopping spree to find those dresses?"  
  
"I say let's go!"  
  
Duo and Heero looked at each other. "Oh no."  
  
By noon, the boys were exhausted. They'd been in and out of nearly every store in New York it seemed, and their wives were far from finished. Anna had the dress, Chase found the shoes, Anna got the bracelet, Chase acquired a choker, Anna and Chase got slips, and boy was that embarrassing for Duo and Heero. Finally, Duo demanded a lunch break.  
  
"Come on guys! We've been at it for two hours! Don't you ever quit?" he begged.  
  
"Two hours? Good grief. You'd never last on a sale excursion." Anna said in mock disappointment.  
  
"I have to agree with Duo. We've got to stop." Heero said.  
  
"Well, alright. But you do want us to look really, really, really good tonight, don'tcha?" Chase said, drawing out the reallys.  
  
Duo rolled his eyes.  
  
"You always look really good." Heero said.  
  
"Ha! How would you know? The last time we saw them in formal wear was at our weddings!" Duo laughed. He yelped as Heero smashed his foot down on the taller mans toes.  
  
"Damede." Heero deadpanned.  
  
"Don't you 'damede' me, buddy! It's perfectly true and you know it." Duo glared at him.  
  
Just then, Anna let out a gasp. "Hey, Chase, lookit that! That's the perfect thing for you!" she cried, pointing at a dress in the window of a boutique across the street.  
  
"Let's go check it out. Come on, boyos. Will do lunch in a minute." Chase called.  
  
Duo and Heero let out a collective sigh. "Oh boy."  
  
  
  
Chase stepped out of the dressing room wearing a long, black, halter-top dress that left her back bare. It was form fitting and had slits clear up to her thighs. She looked down at it and then at her friends. "Well?"  
  
"Looks great, Chase, let's go eat!" Duo said, not really taking a look, but eyeing the diner on the other side of the street.  
  
His wife tugged his braid. "Damede."  
  
"Itai…"  
  
Heero circled her slowly, looking at the dress. "Will you wear it?"  
  
Chase wrinkled her nose. "What do you expect me to wear, a tux?"  
  
Heero smirked slightly. "Not preferably."  
  
Chase grinned, adjusting her glasses. "So this is a yes?"  
  
"Yes," Duo said, still trying to get his braid out of Anna's firm grip. "Now let's eat!!"  
  
Chase smiled. Just like old times…  
  
After Duo's appetite had been satisfied, and Heero felt he could handle more stores, the girls continued their shopping excursion. They also added some sightseeing in here and there. The day flew by and soon they had to return to their hotel rooms to get ready for the night's events.  
  
The four had agreed on two separate bedrooms at the hotel. The girls would share one, and the boys would share the connecting room. They weren't sure quite what to do, because their marriage licenses weren't valid in this world. They didn't even have their licenses anymore.  
  
Anna stood in her slip in front of the mirror in the room attempting to style her hair. Chase was in the bathroom putting on her dress and doing the same.  
  
"So what do you think this is going to be like?" Chase called into the room.  
  
"Like anything Quatre does. Large, expensive, fancy, ornate, and it will be all around beautifully done." Anna called back.  
  
Chase laughed. There was a pause from the bathroom.  
  
"What?" Anna asked while giving her hair a dirty look.  
  
"Do you think Trowa will show up?" Chase wondered.  
  
"No." Anna replied instantly. "Not with a formal invitation, at any rate." She added under her breath.  
  
"I heard that." Chase deadpanned.  
  
Anna rolled her eyes and finally got the look she wanted. "Perfect! All finished." She said happily.  
  
Chase came out of the room, also dressed and ready. She giggled. "Anna, you look great, but one thing's missing."  
  
Anna stared at her through the mirror. "Nani desu ka?"  
  
"The dress!"  
  
"Oops." 


	8. Welcome to the Party, Please Check Your ...

Chapter Eight: Welcome to the Party, Please Check Your Weapons at the Door  
  
The two couples arrived at Luck Inc. Headquarters at six, an hour before the party began at Quatre's request.  
  
Beatrice waved at them as they entered the private elevator. Even she was decked out in a light blue party dress.  
  
Dorothy greeted them as they stepped off the lift.  
  
"Hello, welcome to Quatre's shall we say little get together." She said, smiling. She was wearing a straight black dress that came to her knees. It had a scoop neck, and the satin part of it covered her shoulders, but the sleeves were a black/sheer lace. It was quite a lovely outfit.  
  
"Evening' Dorothy." Duo acknowledged.  
  
"Konbanwa, Dorothy-san." Heero said.  
  
"Dorothy." Chase said.  
  
"It's good to see you again so soon." Anna accepted.  
  
"Likewise. It's been awhile since we were all together last." Dorothy agreed.  
  
"It may be awhile until we're all together yet." Heero muttered cryptically.  
  
Dorothy didn't hear the comment, or chose to ignore it for the time being. "Let me show you to the drawing room. Quatre asked you here early so he could brief you on some of the things that may be going down tonight. We're expecting surprise guests, if you know what I mean."  
  
"Back to our old tricks, looks like." Duo grinned.  
  
"Except one thing." Anna amended.  
  
"What's that?" her husband asked as they followed Dorothy through the dimly lit gallery.  
  
"We fought a war as ex-pilots before, but now we're ex-gundam pilots without the gundams to back us up." She said.  
  
As they got closer to the drawing room, Heero leaned over to her. "Yeah, but even if all seven gundams still existed, there's no way we could fight with them in this world. You're the past for us remember? It would throw off history so bad there'd be no way to fix it." He said quietly.  
  
Chase put a hand on his arm. "And if we wind up fighting and fail here, it'll get so thrown off there won't be anyway to fix that either."  
  
"Then it will have to be like always. We can't lose. No matter what." Duo said softly.  
  
Dorothy stopped when her hand hit the doorknob of the room Quatre was in. She had been a few paces ahead, but had heard everything. "He's right, you know. We can't lose. There's too much at stake."  
  
"So you think they'll fight for this world? As in hostile takeover?" Duo asked.  
  
"You can bet your braid on it." Dorothy affirmed. She turned the knob and opened the door.  
  
The group filed into the room.  
  
"Konban wa, minna-san," Quatre said as he smiled politely. "It's been a while, Heero. Duo." He shook their hands and then embraced Anna quickly. He then turned to the small blond. "Chase?"  
  
"Konban wa, Quatre-kun. It's been a while, ne?" She smiled. "Hai. Too long."  
  
Quatre nodded then became serious. "Okay. OWN is making an assassination attempt tonight. They know that I have something to do with the Gundam pilots, but they don't know I am one. They know that I will have connections with the two girls that live here. They don't know what you two look like though. They DO know what you looked like when you were nineteen."  
  
"So we have the advantage," Chase deadpanned.  
  
"Right. Gomen ne, minna-san, but I have to go downstairs. Guest will be arriving soon."  
  
"We'll meet you down there," Anna answered.  
  
  
  
The party had too many people mulling about, so Chase took off by herself to the art gallery that Anna had told her about.  
  
A brief flicker of motion caught her eye as she rounded a corner. She felt the gun she had smuggled in, hooked to her boot.  
  
Chase jogged; best she could in tall shoes, around the corner and stopped when she came to a dead end. She felt cold mettle on the back of her neck.  
  
"Turn slowly."  
  
She did so, looking into a pair of dark green eyes. "I don't think you were on the guest list," Chase said darkly.  
  
"Were you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
He smirked. "I'm sure."  
  
The gun was pointed to her forehead and briefly wandered if she could still pull a Heero Yuy and dodge the bullet so close. Either that or just take it and never see the people she had just gained back in her life.  
  
The OWN soldier looked past her briefly and she took her opportunity. Slamming her knee into his stomach, she dodged the bullet and brought her leg around the ketch him in the side.  
  
The soldier looked at her with an odd expression for a moment, and then was forced to dodge another blow from the young woman. Chase went for her gun.  
  
The soldier and Chase stood glaring at each other, both with a gun pointed at the other's head. "It appears we are in quite a predicament, Miss."  
  
Chase allowed a smirk to cross her features. "I suppose we are."  
  
The green eyed man looked at her. Her brown eyes, hidden partially behind the black rims of her glasses, glared him down. His own eyes widened slightly. "Chase…"  
  
She cocked her gun. "Right."  
  
His eyes softened. "You've grown up, little one…" he whispered. "It's me."  
  
Her eyes widened slightly. "Trowa…" She glared. "You better have a really good explanation for that uniform you're wearing, boyo."  
  
There was a flash of hesitation in his eyes, and he made his decision. "I'm working for OWN undercover. Just like OZ, and Marimeia before, and Treize both times. I'm a trainer. I need you to trust me, like old times, ne?"  
  
Chase stared at him for a moment, and slowly lowered her gun. "When were you planning on telling Heero and Duo?"  
  
"They're here as well?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Yes. So is Anna. It's become quite a year in the way of reunions." Chase said.  
  
Trowa nodded. "So I've heard. I need you to go back, join the party, have a good time, and pretend I was never here. All right? This is important to the future of earth, Chase-chan." He said softly.  
  
Chase looked back to where the elevator was. "All right. I will see you again, won't I?" she asked.  
  
"Of course." Trowa promised. "We won't lose contact again."  
  
She nodded. "It's good to see you again, Trowa."  
  
"You too, Chase. We'll have to chat sometime." He said softly.  
  
She looked away again, and when she looked back, he was gone. "Ja ne, Trowa-kun." She whispered. And yet she had a funny feeling about the encounter…  
  
Trowa waited around the corner until he heard the swoosh of elevator doors shutting. He turned and leaned against the wall. He flicked on a comm. link on his jacket.  
  
"Did you get that, Avis?" he asked.  
  
"No sir, General Victor asked for our audio only to be activated by you. Can I help sir? It's not time for the attack command, is it?" the soldier asked fearfully.  
  
"No, Avis. Spread the word among the troops here. There are four gundam pilots present. I repeat four gundam pilots present. Continue assassination as planned. And remember, after you take out the businessman, I want Lucky Vincent taken alive." Trowa said into the comm.  
  
"Understood, Commander. I will inform your troops immediately. What are your orders if the gundam pilots fight back?" Avis asked.  
  
Trowa paused. "Wound them to the point that they are not a threat to this mission. Do not kill them. Not yet."  
  
"Orders received and accepted. Will transmit. Avis signing out."  
  
"Commander Barton, signing out." Trowa disappeared through the gallery.  
  
Two pairs of blue eyes watched him go, one a light ice blue, and the other a deep ocean blue. Dorothy and Anna glanced at each other. They had come looking for Chase, and found a much bigger hunt indeed.  
  
"Traitor among us." Dorothy murmured.  
  
"For real, this time." Anna agreed.  
  
"We need to get back. We'll have to keep a closer eye on Quatre and his business friends." Dorothy said.  
  
Anna nodded. "Dorothy, not a word of this to anyone. We need to find out if it is a cover, or if this time he'd kill us all. If it is a cover, it's a bloody good one."  
  
  
  
Chase was in a half stupor as she rejoined the party. She had once cared for that man, and he was back. She glanced towards the elevator she had stepped from. "Be careful, Trowa-kun," she whispered.  
  
A hand rested itself on her shoulder. "Do you dance now?"  
  
"No."  
  
Heero smirked. "C'mon."  
  
Chase felt her husband take her in his arms and they began to dance slowly. "You look beautiful," he whispered.  
  
"Arigato," she whispered and laid her head against him. "I think everything's going to turn out okay, don't you?"  
  
"Yes. I think it will. It has in the past."  
  
Chase sighed contentedly. "I love you, Heero-chan."  
  
"Aishiteru." He whispered back.  
  
Dorothy and Anna came to stand by Quatre and Duo, who were chatting. They watched the happy couple swirl by, caught up in the music and each other.  
  
Duo put an arm around Anna's shoulders. "That the way it always should have been, ne?"  
  
"Yeah. What's been done can't be undone, so there's no point on focusing on something we have no power to change." She said.  
  
"She right. It's much better to focus on the here and now." Quatre smiled, taking Dorothy's hand. She blushed ever so slightly and he led her out onto the dance floor.  
  
"It's nice that he's finally going to settle down." Duo said.  
  
"Yeah. He deserves to really be happy." Anna grinned. "Her too."  
  
Duo nodded. "Do we know who they're after?" he asked in a low tone, his topic changing.  
  
"No. But I think we should definitely keep an eye on Mr. Vincent, and the main businessman here, Mr. Walsh."  
  
Duo nodded again and tilted his head towards the dance floor. "Shall we?"  
  
"Alright." She agreed.  
  
They joined the multitude of dancing guests. The slower song ended and the band picked up with a fast paced waltz. Duo got a wicked gleam in his eye and twirled his wife faster and faster around the dance floor. They nearly crashed into Heero and Chase. Chase started laughing and Heero simply glared at him. As the other men and women dancing glanced up and smiled at the young couple Duo slowed, leaned over, and whispered something to Anna. She looked at Quatre and Dorothy who were in a corner, still slow dancing. She shook her head slightly and he put on a pleading look. Anna glanced there way again and resigned. They danced that way and Duo took Dorothy and led her out into the middle and Anna and Quatre moved back towards the center.  
  
Duo motioned for the band to pick it up a little more and the couples on the floor began to laugh and move faster. Heero shook his head at him and Quatre laughed out loud.  
  
"He always did know how to get a party moving." The blonde Arab said to Anna.  
  
Anna grinned. "Some things never change."  
  
Chase exchanged a look with her friend and shook her head. Anna shrugged helplessly, grinning. She laughed again as Duo surprised her by grabbing her away from Heero and leaving Dorothy with the Perfect Soldier. People were switching partners all over the ballroom and the children sitting along the side were pointing and giggling.  
  
The band conductor was looking a bit frantic with all his waving at the band and the people with woodwinds were looking winded. As the song finally slowed to a stop, the three couples rejoined their original partners. All the businessmen pulled out handkerchiefs and wiped the sweat from their foreheads while smiling and their wives and dates clapped. The conductor bowed, glared slightly in the braided man's direction and turned to the band. 


	9. Don't Be Shy, There's Plenty of Chaos to...

Chapter Nine: Don't Be Shy, There's Plenty of Chaos to go Around  
  
They had gotten three notes out when a scream pierced the room. The violins screeched to a stop and everyone whirled to look to the origin of the sound. A woman stared in horror as her husband or the person she was dancing with staggered, then fell to the floor. Time slowed to a stop as the realization of what happened hit the room. Women screamed men stepped in front of them and looked around for the source of danger. People crowded around the fallen man. Quatre rushed up and grabbed Duo's shoulder.  
  
"That was Mr. Walsh." He whispered.  
  
Duo looked at him. "Now what?"  
  
Anna and Dorothy exchanged glances. Anna got Duo's attention. "Listen, get Mr. Vincent and Dorothy out of here. Hide them somewhere in the building, outside the building, anything! He's the next target!" she exclaimed.  
  
"I think out would be better than in." Dorothy said quietly.  
  
"Anna!" Chase shouted near the body of Mr. Walsh.  
  
"Coming!" she fished a card out of her pocket. "Look, call this cab driver, you can trust him. Tell him your friends of the girl that he took to Luck Inc. yesterday. Go!"  
  
Duo grabbed Quatre and Dorothy's arm and they headed towards the elevator.  
  
"We better make this quick." Duo said.  
  
"Move, people, I'm a doctor." Anna barked. The terrified guests let her through.  
  
She knelt by Chase. "Fancy seeing you here." She said dryly.  
  
Chase rolled her eyes. "Is there a chance?"  
  
Anna surveyed the wound and checked for a pulse. "No. That's a great shot. Straight through the heart. He's gone."  
  
A woman behind them let out a half sob.  
  
They were about to express their condolences when the glass doors in the balcony burst open and OWN soldiers flooded the second floor, guns aimed at the crowd. Soldiers came in through the downstairs too, backing Duo, Quatre, and Dorothy into the rest of the guests.  
  
Heero had found an entrance and exit that had not been used.  
  
"Chase." He hissed. She heard and looked up. She looked back at Anna.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know the drill. We'll make a diversion, get shot at, and you take the enemy." She grinned.  
  
"That's the general idea. Be careful." Chase said.  
  
"Always. You too."  
  
Chase again rolled her eyes and slipped over to where Heero was hiding behind a blue velvet curtain.  
  
Anna joined Duo.  
  
"We need to move him to the back of the crowd so he's more protected." Duo whispered.  
  
"There's no point. They'll be able to see him from above." Dorothy murmured.  
  
"Guys, I'm here too, you know." Quatre reminded gently.  
  
"We know. That's our problem." Duo said wryly.  
  
Several people gasped and looked to the center part of the balcony. A figure immerged from the center door. He was like the others in uniform, but one could tell he was of a higher rank. He had a helmet on, shielding his face from the crowd.  
  
"I assume you understand our demonstration." He said. The baritone voice rang out over the large room.  
  
Dorothy looked back and Anna nodded. Beside them, Quatre stiffened. "No, it can't be…" he whispered.  
  
Dorothy grabbed his arm. "Don't." said so only he could hear.  
  
He relaxed, but stared painstakingly at the man on the balcony. The man riveted his gaze so it rested on Quatre. Then he regarded his soldiers.  
  
"You have your orders, go!" he commanded.  
  
  
  
Chase slipped through to the area behind the balcony and made eye contact with her husband. He nodded and she laid a small devise down, watching him do the same on the other side.  
  
She smirked to herself as she stepped away from the balcony and jogged a good ways down the hall. A small devise beeped in her ear. "Ima."  
  
Chase pressed the detonator that she held in her hand and a small explosion came from the ballroom.  
  
  
  
Quatre looked up to where the explosion sounded. "Chase," he muttered.  
  
"Let's get you out of here," Duo muttered as he took Quatre by the arm.  
  
  
  
Chase rounded the corner to her meeting spot. She stopped dead in her tracks when she ran into a gun pointed to her head. She looked past the OWN soldier to see Heero standing in much the same predicament.  
  
Their eyes met and he glared slightly, telling her to stay still for the moment.  
  
One soldier walked forward and smirked. He cupped Chase's chin in one hand and ripped her glasses off with the other. "So you're Chase Yuy? I thought you'd be more than this."  
  
Chase glared, holding back her temper. Her eyes met Heero's again and he nodded slightly. He brought his elbow into his captor's stomach.  
  
She dodged the soldier trying to grab her and then looked to see a red aiming dot aimed at her. She was about to move when she felt Heero knock into her, telling her to get down. The shot went off.  
  
There was a multitude of problems downstairs as well. Twelve boys were advancing on the Luck Inc. owner. Duo was standing half in front of him, and Dorothy and Anna were on either side.  
  
"Maybe we should just let them take me. That way nobody will get hurt." Quatre muttered.  
  
"Yeah, buddy, except you. We don't know what those guys are willing to do. Look what we were willing to do at that age." Duo said.  
  
"He's right. Giving you over to them will cause more problems than solutions." Dorothy said, sounding partially nervous.  
  
The explosion upstairs went off. Several cadets cried out as the balcony filled with smoke.  
  
"Now is good." Anna said.  
  
Duo grabbed Quatre's wrist and took off, shoving their way through the people who were screaming and shouting again. The twelve advancing soldiers started to run after them.  
  
"Anna." Dorothy said sharply.  
  
She looked up and caught the Glock that was thrown to her. In one fluid motion they had them cocked and pointed at the two head cadets.  
  
The two found themselves facing two sides of six. And they all looked dangerous.  
  
"There's just one problem with this set up." Anna said quietly.  
  
"What's that?" Dorothy asked, eyes flickering from soldier to soldier.  
  
"We are totally out numbered."  
  
"True. We're only in trouble if they shoot first." Dorothy murmured back.  
  
"Oh, comforting I'm sure." Anna said sarcastically.  
  
One of the boys stepped forward.  
  
"You must be Anna Yuy and Chase Maxwell." He said, addressing them.  
  
Before Dorothy could contest what he said, Anna spoke up. "Very good, Sparky. You've done your homework. But that's Anna Maxwell and Chase Yuy. I'm afraid you don't pass the class."  
  
He glared and took a step forward.  
  
"A-a, Sparky. Not your night. Move again and I'll shoot you." Anna warned. "And Ms. Yuy here isn't a bad aim herself."  
  
Dorothy grinned wickedly.  
  
The boy dubbed 'Sparky' also grinned. "If you shoot me, my comrades will shoot back. We're trained for that sort of thing."  
  
"No kidding. We thought you were part of the circus." Dorothy snapped.  
  
The boys on the dance floor were perfectly ignoring the cries and shouts from above them. Sparky moved forward again and Anna launched her attack, Dorothy following suit. They mixed themselves into the band of boys so that they couldn't shoot at the girls without shooting at each other.  
  
"Remember these are kids! Keep casualties to a minimum!" Anna shouted over the noise.  
  
Dorothy grabbed one of the boys around the neck and spun around using him as a shield. She knocked two of them on the head, sending them to the floor. She squeezed the neck pressure point of the one she was holding and let him drop. She held the three that were attacking her at bay with the gun she held.  
  
Anna had used the same method and only had two standing from her group. The five of them moved closer to each other and eyed the females.  
  
"That's pretty good. They took over half of us out without sending a shot off." One of them whispered.  
  
Sparky silenced him with a glare.  
  
"Why don't we just shoot them?" one of them whined.  
  
"Because the Commander said to leave the gundam pilots alive." He hissed.  
  
Most of the frightened guests had slipped out back ways or were under tables on the sides of the room. Anna and Dorothy were glad they had had the sense to move, or it would have been rather difficult to fight back.  
  
"He said restrict them so they wouldn't be a threat. These two are definitely threats." Another said.  
  
"Right." Sparky aimed his gun at Dorothy's shoulder, and the other four aimed at different non-fatal parts of the two's bodies.  
  
"This is where the out numbered part comes into play, isn't it?" Dorothy said.  
  
"Yeah, pretty much." Anna sighed. She fiddled with the necklace she was wearing with her free hand. She pulled it off and twisted the gem between her fingers.  
  
"But out numbered never stopped us before."  
  
She threw the gem at them and it exploded at their feet sending a violet mist spraying up around them. They cried out in surprise and slowly fell to the ground as the drug overtook their consciousness. Before Sparky could fall asleep, Anna pulled him out of the cloud and shook him by the collar.  
  
"Who trained you? Who is your Commander?" She demanded.  
  
"Can't say." He sighed.  
  
"Who is it!?" Dorothy growled.  
  
"Commander Trowa Barton." He mumbled sleepily.  
  
"How loyal is he?" Anna asked lowly.  
  
"He took the blood pledge. He'd die for OWN and M-" he fell asleep.  
  
Anna and Dorothy looked at each other. "Traitor indeed." Dorothy said softly.  
  
Anna nodded.  
  
Duo and Quatre were dashing down the halls of the massive building. They had taken the stairs to avoid any guards on the elevators. The two had made it to the second floor, and were now trying to find the fire escape.  
  
"This is the filing floor. I don't come down here very often." Quatre explained.  
  
Duo had his gun out and ahead of him in one hand, and still had his grip on Quatre with the other. "Well, where do you think it would be?" he asked impatiently.  
  
"I don't know!" Quatre cried exasperatedly.  
  
"I'm sorry, Quatre. But we can't let them get you now." Duo apologized.  
  
Quatre smiled and started to say something when he flinched, grabbed his neck, and dropped to his knees. Duo watched with horror and knelt by him.  
  
"Quatre? Quatre what's wrong?" Duo exclaimed, looking around. He pulled his friends hand away from his neck and saw a small blue dart there.  
  
"What the heck?" Duo muttered.  
  
Quatre passed out. Duo barely caught him before he hit the carpet. He hovered over the unconscious pilot waiting for someone to come around the corner.  
  
He never saw the leader of the soldiers of OWN come up behind him and knock him out.  
  
Trowa picked Quatre up. He touched the comm. on his collar. "Alright. I have Mr. Vincent. Take us back."  
  
He and Quatre disappeared, along with all of the OWN soldiers in the building, leaving it deathly quiet.  
  
  
  
Chase opened her eyes slowly, feeling her head throb where she hit it on the hard ground. "Heero?" she muttered, still trying to gain her bearings. She looked to see him lying half on top of her. He had not risen from his shielding position. "Heero?"  
  
He groaned slightly and his dark blue eyes fluttered open, staring at her for a moment. "Ohayo," he whispered.  
  
"Daijoubu ka?" she asked quickly, trying to find out if he was hurt or not.  
  
"Daijoubu," he groaned as he flopped over. "They're gone."  
  
"Yeah. I noticed." She rolled over and sat up slightly. He stared up at her. "They won."  
  
"The battle, Chase. Not the war."  
  
The young woman felt a shiver go down her spine. "Battles make up wars, Heero."  
  
"I know."  
  
Chase sighed heavily and stood, offering her hand to him. "Let's go see if anyone is alive."  
  
He accepted her hand and stood, holding his side lightly. She glared. "Yeah, boyo, you're in perfect condition."  
  
"It's a scratch," he protested.  
  
She rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked, half exasperated.  
  
He pulled her close and held her. "I won't let them win, Chase. We've worked too hard to let anyone take earth. I won't let them destroy everything."  
  
She sighed and rested her chin on his chest. "And I thought it was over," she sighed.  
  
"Never. War never ends, Chase."  
  
"I know. But the same people don't always fight."  
  
He buried his face in her strawberry blond hair. "We all have to get out alive this time."  
  
"We will. We will."  
  
Dorothy was explaining things to the police while police officers and Anna helped guests up from their hiding places under tables and some were even under the grand piano. The forensic teams had joined the remains of the party and were examining the late Mr. Walsh.  
  
Dorothy told them that Mr. Vincent had indeed gotten away and would be laying low for several days. She also said that Heero, Chase, Anna, and Duo were undercover security employees of Luck Inc. so there was really no need to detain them. The officer took her statement and started searching the premises. Dorothy instructed the valets to bring the guests cars around and take them home or to the hospital if need be. The officer asked them to stay until the search was over in case they needed to ask any more questions.  
  
Anna came to stand by her blonde friend. "He'll be alright. Trowa wouldn't hurt Quatre." She said gently.  
  
Dorothy nodded. "I know. But his subordinates might."  
  
"Quatre can take care of himself, you should know that better than anyone." Anna said.  
  
"I know." Dorothy said sadly. She looked at Anna. "Where's Duo?"  
  
"I don't know. The last time I saw him was when he was with Quatre. Maybe they made it out after all. Oh, no. Heero got himself hurt again." Anna replied.  
  
Chase and Heero entered the room, Heero leaning slightly on his wife.  
  
"Konban wa, minna-san. I think to party ended a little too soon," Chase said quietly, putting an arm around her husband's waist.  
  
"Have you seen Duo?"  
  
"Or Quatre?"  
  
"No to both. I…"  
  
"They got him," Duo said as he entered the room, holding his head gingerly.  
  
"Blast it," Chase muttered. Heero tensed slightly. She glanced up to see his eyes closed. "I don't care what you say, boyo, I'm getting you to the nearest hospital."  
  
"No," he said firmly. "I don't like hospitals."  
  
"And I don't like doctors, but it never stopped me from going to see one."  
  
"Hey!" Anna protested.  
  
Chase grinned sheepishly. "Fine. I'll make you a deal, ne? We go back to the hotel and you let Anna treat that wound."  
  
"No."  
  
"It's that or a hospital."  
  
Heero glared slightly at Chase then heaved a sigh. "Fine. We'll go back to the hotel."  
  
So back to the hotel they went, and Dorothy came with them. Chase, Dorothy, and Duo had changed. Duo was sitting in a roll around chair and was holding an ice pack to his head, looking slightly miserable. Dorothy sat in the chair next to him, and Chase sat on one of the beds. Heero was lying on the other bed, and Anna was leaning over him, trying to check his wound.  
  
"Confound it man, lie still! If you keep squirming this is only going to hurt worse." Anna sighed.  
  
"You aren't doing it right." Heero grumbled.  
  
"Excuse me? Which one of us went through six years of medical school? That's right, the one who doesn't have a bullet hole in me at the moment. So I thank you not to question my ability. Especially while you're in a rather awkward position." Anna warned, wielding a package of gauze.  
  
Heero glared at her but relented, holding still while she cleaned the wound.  
  
"So what's the diagnosis, Doctor?" Chase asked teasingly.  
  
"He'll be fine, it's just a nick coupled with exhaustion. I actually think Duo's in worse shape than he is. Whoever hit him, hit him hard."  
  
Duo rubbed the spot woefully. "You're telling me."  
  
"Are you Doctor Estes or Doctor Maxwell now, Anna?" Dorothy asked absently from the chair.  
  
It was a question she wasn't ready to answer. All eyes were on her now, and she looked to Chase. She didn't find an answer in the dark brown eyes of her friend.  
  
Anna let a small smile play on her lips. "Why don't we just call me Bones and say it's even." She replied softly.  
  
Just then Heero grunted –Anna had left the antiseptic on too long- drawing the attention away from the question. Anna muttered an apology and began wrapping his side. Finally she was done. Heero thanked her silently, and went into the bathroom to change. Anna leaned against the window of the hotel room and stared at the lighted city outside.  
  
"So what do we do now?" Duo asked quietly.  
  
"I have to stay here and run Luck Inc. Too much is riding on it to let it slip into the hands of younger members. They all know the dangers of OWN, but still, the public can't know about Quatre's abduction." Dorothy said.  
  
"Speaking of, what are we going to do about Quatre?" Duo asked.  
  
"We aren't going to do anything about Quatre. I'm going back to find him." Heero said, re-entering the room.  
  
"Going back?" Chase echoed.  
  
He nodded. "I've got to go where he is to find him."  
  
"How are you planning to do that?" Chase asked.  
  
"By going the way I came." Heero replied.  
  
"That's vague." Anna remarked.  
  
"I can't tell you how I got here." Heero said.  
  
"I think it's a little late for secrecy, Heero." Dorothy mused.  
  
The Perfect Soldier said nothing.  
  
"Come on, Heero, they may as well know." Duo pushed gently.  
  
Heero glowered at the ceiling for a moment then answered. "We got here the same way Chase and Anna went home."  
  
"By laptop?!?" The two aforementioned exclaimed.  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
"How is that possible? I asked Trowa to destroy both laptops." Chase said.  
  
"He destroyed one two weeks after you were gone, and said he destroyed the other a short time after that. One time when he was out I went into his room to look for a program he said I could use. I found a blue covered laptop and realized he hadn't destroyed both of them, and that the program for transportation was still on it. I made blueprints of the laptop, and copies of the software and built another laptop." Heero replied coolly.  
  
"Why did you build another one?" Anna asked bewildered.  
  
"I thought it could be useful in the future." Heero murmured, looking at Chase.  
  
"Not that I'm not grateful, but this means there are two laptops again?" Chase questioned.  
  
"Yes. Duo and I have the one, and we assume that Trowa has the original." Heero answered. "If you'll excuse me, I need to get ready." He went back to his room.  
  
Duo stood. "I need to talk to him."  
  
Dorothy also left, saying she was going to go call the cabby's number that Anna had given her.  
  
Alone, Chase joined Anna by the window. "Life's become a whirlwind, ne?"  
  
Anna watched the lights dance on the New World Trade Center, and the eternal flame that flickered next to it as a memorial for its predecessors. It was beautiful for what that building stood for. It stood for freedom, liberty, peace, and strength under God. And most of all, it stood for triumph over disaster.  
  
"Go with him, Chase." She said, shifting her gaze to her friend.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Go with Heero." Anna said again.  
  
"I can't do that, and you know it." Chase shook her head.  
  
"Yes you can! You deserve to go you need to go. He needs you." Anna insisted.  
  
"If I go I won't want to come back." Chase whispered.  
  
"But you will. This is just the beginning. Think of it as a trial period."  
  
"Can I subscribe for under $10.99?" she joked.  
  
"Nah, I think shuttle rides cost more than that."  
  
"You really think I should go?" Chase asked.  
  
"Hai!" Anna said enthusiastically. "Remember, you're legally married there."  
  
Chase arched an eyebrow. "True. Very true. But what about you?"  
  
"Duo and I can go back to Chicago and be like a home base. We need to find Wufei. He's here somewhere."  
  
Chase nodded. "Let's go see Dorothy off."  
  
"Right. And then tell Heero he's taking you along." Anna agreed.  
  
  
  
"You're not coming."  
  
Chase glared at her husband over the rims of her glasses. "I am."  
  
"No."  
  
Anna sighed. "Battle of the wills. This could take a while."  
  
Chase smirked slightly. "You have to take me."  
  
"Why is that?"  
  
"Because," Chase said, producing a leather bag – much like the one she had carried with her everywhere – from where it hung around her shoulder, "I have the laptop."  
  
Heero's eyes narrowed. "Give that here, Chase."  
  
"No. Not unless you take me with you."  
  
He made a lunge at it, but he was too slow for her and she dodged. "Take me with you."  
  
He stopped for a moment and stared down at her. She held the bag protectively. He slipped her glasses off and looked into her brown eyes. He sighed heavily. "Look in my bag. I brought something you use to wear. It'll work for this."  
  
"I can get my own clothes."  
  
"Just do it, Chase."  
  
She nodded and looked; pulling out the black pants and shirt she wore often. She smirked. "Looks like Chase Yuy is back in action."  
  
"We'll see. Go get changed. We need to leave as soon as possible. Quatre may not have much time."  
  
Chase nodded and went back to the room the girls had shared, and Anna followed her.  
  
Heero headed towards the door so he could check them out of the hotel. Duo grabbed his arm.  
  
"Are you sure about this? It is Chase and Anna, but they haven't been in situations like this for almost a decade. It could be a suicide murder dragging them in now." He said warningly.  
  
Heero looked surprised at his doubts. "They say it's like riding a bicycle. You above all people should know their capabilities. They went into this willingly, you know that."  
  
"I know that. I'm just worried that it's all to fast. We don't want to lose what we've just gained." Duo said.  
  
"I know. But you have become a worrier, my friend." Heero responded.  
  
"Sometimes you don't worry enough." Duo replied.  
  
"The best you can do is go back to Chicago with Anna and find Wufei. We have to know what side he's on. If we've lost both him and Trowa to OWN, things will be twice as difficult. Chase and I will be fine." Heero said.  
  
Duo shrugged. "Whatever you say buddy. I just hope this turns out as well as things did in the past."  
  
"The past is the past. We're fighting for the future, now." Heero said as he left the room.  
  
He came back a few minutes later to find the other three ready to go.  
  
"I've got the tickets back to Chicago." Anna announced. "We leave in five hours."  
  
"Good. Chase and I will leave now." Heero said. He paused to glare slightly. "As soon she gives me the laptop."  
  
She smiled sweetly and handed it back to him. He smiled wryly and opened it. Chase peered over his shoulder as he pulled up all the old familiar programs.  
  
"I remember that." She said to herself, watching the program load up.  
  
"You should. You helped modify it." Heero replied. "It's ready."  
  
Anna squeezed Chase's shoulder. "Have fun, but remember the spell wears off at midnight."  
  
Chase rolled her eyes. "Right. I'll make sure to take some extra explosive pumpkins."  
  
"Make sure you do." Anna grinned.  
  
"Wish us luck." Heero said, taking Chase's hand.  
  
Duo put an arm around Anna's shoulders. "Good luck, buddy."  
  
"Knock 'em dead, kid." Anna said.  
  
Chase gave her a look as Heero pushed the enter button on the laptop. A white light engulfed the room and a second later; Duo and Anna were alone.  
  
"We better rest up." Anna said softly.  
  
"You're afraid, Anna?" Duo asked.  
  
"I am unsure." She replied. "We thought our lives had settled themselves. Why didn't I know, that you wouldn't ever be far?"  
  
"Because I promised you always." Duo replied quietly.  
  
"Always." She repeated in a whisper. 


	10. United We Stand

1.1 Chapter Ten: United We Stand  
  
Both Duo and Anna were awake and dressed well before dawn that morning. They had gotten breakfast at the airport and decided to mill around before their flight.  
  
"I think I'm going to develop airsickness if I have to get on any more planes." Anna sighed.  
  
"It'll end soon. Maybe you'll traveling by laptop again soon." Duo said coyly.  
  
"Maybe." Anna said vaguely.  
  
"You don't want to go back, do you?" Duo asked flatly.  
  
"I don't want to hurt the way I did again." Anna responded.  
  
Duo was about to reply when the call went up for them to board. The look Anna gave him told him to drop the discussion until later. As they were boarding, a young man stepped off the plane and tipped his hat to them, and vanished into the crowd.  
  
Duo leaned close to her. "Know him?"  
  
Anna shook her head. "No, I don't think so. He's not one of us, if that's what you mean."  
  
The rest of the flight went smoothly, although the image of the young man remained on Anna's mind. He had been familiar, but she couldn't place it.  
  
As soon as they got back in the townhouse Anna immediately headed for the office.  
  
"Come on, boyo, we've got serious work to do."  
  
"What do you have in mind?" Duo joined her in the master bedroom turned workplace.  
  
"We have to locate Wufei, right? The last known coordinates we have for him are here, in Chicago and that was months ago. There's no guarantee he's still here. We need to find out where he went. That's going to take phone calls, hacking, and lunch. Take Chase's computer." Anna said.  
  
Duo grinned. "I like the lunch part. Let's get to it."  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chase crossed her legs and sighed heavily as she glanced at the clock. She had forgotten what the waiting periods were like. "Could we speed this up?"  
  
"Always the impatient one, ne, Chase?" Heero asked with a small smirk.  
  
"Maybe." She stood and crossed over to where he was seated at the laptop. They had found a small hotel room in a small town outside of Tokyo to work. It was safer that way.  
  
Heero sighed, half annoyed at Chase's unnerving restlessness.  
  
The loud ringing of the phone made Chase jump. "I'll get it," she muttered as she stepped toward it. "Moshi moshi?" Her eyes widened as she heard the voice.  
  
"It's good to hear your voice again, Chase Yuy. My sister and I would like to see you and your husband again."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"The mansion. Ours, not Quatre's." Pause. "It is good to hear you are alive and well. I'll see you as soon as possible."  
  
Chase hung up the phone in a daze.  
  
"Who was it?"  
  
The blond girl glanced at her husband. Her now green eyes were slightly darkened with emotion. "We're leaving."  
  
"Hn." He had been around her for good many years. He knew she made decisions at the moment and off of strong emotions, without thinking threw the outcome.  
  
"Fine," Chase responded as she grabbed her jacket. "I'm going."  
  
Heero reached out and caught her wrist on her way towards the door. "No."  
  
"I'm a grown woman, Heero Yuy. I can take care of myself."  
  
"Who was on the phone?"  
  
"Someone I need to see."  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
Chase's eyes widened only slightly. "You know where he is?"  
  
"What do you know of Trowa?"  
  
"I know he's working undercover."  
  
"Wrong. Don't go near him." He leaned back in his chair as he gazed at the screen.  
  
"I wasn't planning on it," she growled. "I'm not a little girl you can tell what to do, Yuy. I can take care of myself." She glared and kicked the chair from under him, sending him to the ground.  
  
He grunted slightly and picked himself up, watching the door close. "Blasted girl will get herself killed one of these days."  
  
  
  
"The nerve…" she muttered under her breath as she stormed down the street, heading towards the airport. She clung to her jacket as the wind blew steadily.  
  
"Chase!"  
  
She whirled around, glaring. "What?"  
  
His eyes softened as he looked at her. "Gomen ne."  
  
Her green eyes fell to the ground. "Me too. It was Zechs, not Trowa. He said for us to come to the Peacecraft mansion."  
  
Heero eyed her for a moment. "That wasn't Zechs."  
  
She cocked an eyebrow. "And just how do you figure that?"  
  
"Zechs would have found some little, obscure place for us to meet."  
  
Chase clenched her teeth in frustration. "I really have been away from this business too long," she said dejectedly.  
  
Heero took her in his arms. "It's okay, Chase."  
  
Chase placed her chin on his shoulder and hugged back. Her eyes opened slightly and she saw a dark figure. "He-" Everything went black for the two pilots.  
  
Duo and Anna typed and hacked and prodded for all the information they could well into the evening. They had ordered pizza once, and Chinese twice (the first order was wrong) and gone through several cups of coffee and tea each. They were both determined to find him, and somewhere along the way it had turned into a competition to see who could locate him first.  
  
"This is impossible." Duo grumbled from Chase's desk. "We'll never find him."  
  
"Nothing is impossible. Just think about it this way. We used to be able to locate people whether they were on earth or one of five colonies. Now its just earth." Anna said.  
  
"At least in our time the population was spread out. You've got billions of people on this planet." Duo exclaimed.  
  
"Is it really billions?" Anna wondered absently.  
  
"I don't know. Whatcha looking at?" Duo asked.  
  
"Seating charts from all flights in the last two weeks." She replied.  
  
"All flights?" Duo repeated incredulously.  
  
"All flights in and out of Chicago. Remember, he's probably using an alias." She replied.  
  
"We don't have a clue what he'd use, though." He said.  
  
"No. But Quatre used something in reference to his real name. Wufei might have done the same, or even something in reference to his gundam number." Anna mused.  
  
"Like Justin Quint?" Duo asked, leaning closer to his screen.  
  
"Justin Quint? Justin sounds like justice, and quint means five! That's it! Duo, you're brilliant!" she cried.  
  
He grinned. "One of the reason's ya married me, isn't it? I'm sending you the link."  
  
Anna grinned back and opened the link. "The description fits him too. It's got to be him."  
  
"Now the question is, where is he?" Duo said.  
  
"It says here that Justin Quint has made six airline trips in the last week." Anna said.  
  
"Six? Good grief, that guy's racking up the frequent flyer miles." Duo muttered.  
  
"He went from Chicago to LA, back to Chicago, then to New York, back to Chicago, then to New York again, then he just left for LA about the same time we came home. He might have even been in the same airport!" Anna exclaimed.  
  
Duo shook his head. "No. He flew to La Guardia when he went to New York. We were at JFK. He was following you. That's part of the pattern you took."  
  
"It looks like he started out going after Chase, because she was in LA, where she met you. Then he might have followed me, but why did he go back to LA?"  
  
"Because he's following me." Duo said, looking at the chart again.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"When I first came to this world, I was in Chicago, looking for you. I didn't know, or remember your real name, and I didn't know what you did or what happened to you so I was at a loss. I actually found Chase by her artwork. I picked up a copy of Emerald Dawn, and knew it was she. I read the name and got the flight information and followed her to LA. He's following the name Maxwell. That's why he followed you for a time. It's the only thing he's got to go on." Duo said.  
  
"I get it. Maybe he has post-trauma amnesia that the doctors didn't pick up on. But still, why did he go back to LA? Neither one of us were on any flights to LA recently." Anna posed the problem.  
  
"Maybe because a Davis Maxwell was on a flight to LA from New York. Like I said, he's just following Maxwell's. And now he's got the wrong one! What if he tracks this guy down and confronts him with being me?" Duo laughed. "He'd be in for the surprise of his life!"  
  
"Or the trouble. What if this Davis Maxwell belongs to OWN and is using our name for bait?" Anna questioned.  
  
"Always the optimistic one, ne?" Duo groaned.  
  
"There are always alternatives." Anna retorted.  
  
"So he's in LA now?" Duo changed the topic.  
  
"Apparently. There haven't been anymore flights with Justin Quint on them." Anna affirmed.  
  
"Great. So now we go to LA and get him." Duo smiled.  
  
"No." Anna said.  
  
Duo swiveled in the computer chair to face her. "No?"  
  
"No." she repeated.  
  
"And why no?" Duo asked.  
  
"I can't go anywhere. It's Sunday." Anna said firmly.  
  
"So we'll leave tomorrow." Duo suggested.  
  
Anna slumped in her chair. "It's because of tomorrow I can't go. I can't afford to not teach my classes tomorrow, without Heero as a substitute. Besides, I need to make sure all my students survived."  
  
"You can't find another sub?" Duo asked.  
  
"I could, but it could take two weeks to locate him and make sure he hasn't joined OWN. It isn't like it was before. We have bills to pay, groceries to keep stocked, and that homeowner's group thing. And while Chase does make a lot off royalties from Emerald Dawn –they're considering making it an anime in Japan- I have to do my share of the work. I can't just fly off the handle at the drop of a hat." Anna sighed.  
  
"If they try a full take over, you'll have too." Duo reminded her.  
  
"If they try a full take over, I'll have a justifiable reason." Anna replied.  
  
Duo sighed. "Life sure has changed."  
  
"A lot of things have changed." Anna agreed.  
  
"So what are we going to do?" he wondered.  
  
"We can't do anything together at this point. You go to LA and find Wufei, and bring him back here. I'll stay here and keep in contact with you and Dorothy, and find out what I can to what extent OWN has its roots in this world." Anna said.  
  
Duo shook his head. "I don't like leaving you alone."  
  
"Hey, we play the big leagues now, remember? I'll be fine for a few days or however long it takes for you to find him. I lasted ten years, after all."  
  
Duo looked pained at the last statement. "What if it's not him?"  
  
"There's only one way to find out, babe." Anna replied gently.  
  
Duo consented. "Alright. You're sure you'll be okay? They know what you look like now."  
  
"I'll be fine." A thought occurred to her. "Duo, which laptop did Trowa save?" she asked urgently.  
  
Duo put his arms behind his head and looked thoughtful. "I don't know. Is it important?"  
  
Anna nodded. "It could be."  
  
"Well, when Heero found it he said it was a blue covered one. That was Chase's, right?"  
  
"Right."  
  
"So he destroyed yours and saved Chase's. I'm not surprised." Duo said.  
  
Anna groaned. "That's what I was afraid of."  
  
"What?" Duo asked.  
  
"Before Chase and I left, we downloaded all the blueprints of all seven gundams onto her laptop. Originally, four of them had been on mine. The Star, the Sandrock, the Deathscythe Hell, and the Altron. Chase already had Heavyarms, the Galaxy, and Zero on hers. So the files wouldn't be scattered, we put them all on hers. So OWN now has all the blueprints for the most powerful weapons on earth and the colonies." Anna murmured.  
  
Duo whistled and leaned back. "And he'd use them too. Does he know they're on there?"  
  
"Only if he found them by searching for them. We didn't tell anybody what we did, and we made them hidden files." Anna answered.  
  
He whistled again. "That could change a lot. We should let Heero and Chase know right away."  
  
"We'll tell them when they get back. Trowa can't build a gundam in four days." Anna said.  
  
"You don't remember Trowa." Duo said wryly.  
  
Anna laughed.  
  
"And he could have had one already built."  
  
She stopped laughing.  
  
"Always the optimistic one, ne?" she sighed.  
  
"It is just a possibility." Duo said.  
  
"He wouldn't bring it here, though. That would be to risky, even for him." Anna countered.  
  
He nodded.  
  
"So you should go. Find Wufei. Bring him here. Okay?" Anna asked.  
  
"Alright. But if you need anything, you call me. I've got a cell phone now." Duo said.  
  
"I will." Anna promised.  
  
"I'll go in the morning." He said, watching her.  
  
"Okay." She whispered.  
  
"I'll come back, Tenshi, I'm not going forever." He said softly.  
  
"Hai, I know. It just seems so surreal." She said.  
  
He moved over and pulled her into a kiss. "It's real. Honest." He said.  
  
"I believe it." 


	11. Divided We Fall

Chapter Eleven: Divided We Fall  
  
Trowa paced the area in front of his desk. Chase and Heero Yuy had been brought in over an hour ago and he still had no word from his officers. Quatre had been brought in almost twenty-four hours ago and he hadn't seen him since. He could only hope they followed his orders to the letter. If they didn't, any one of them could wind up dead.  
  
A timid knock hit his door.  
  
"Come in!" he bellowed.  
  
The soldier Anna had named Sparky slid into the room as carefully as he could. "Cadet Cavel reporting, Sir." He said faltering.  
  
"Report!" Trowa demanded. He could see the bruise on the side of Cavel's face.  
  
"All three prisoners are secure, Sir." He said meekly.  
  
"What did they tell you?" Trowa asked, sitting on the outer edge of his desk.  
  
"Nothing, Sir. Lucky Vincent denies all knowledge of anything related to OWN or the rebellion against it, Chase Yuy simply demands to see her husband and curses in random languages, and Heero Yuy says nothing but `Hn.'. Sir." He mumbled.  
  
Trowa smirked. "Understood. It is just as I expected. Some things never change. What are their conditions?"  
  
"Chase and Heero Yuy merely have minor bumps on the head, but Luck Vincent was beaten, per your orders. He was warned." Cavel said, gaining confidence.  
  
Trowa allowed his eyes to widen in horror for half an instant. "What orders, Cadet?" he asked coldly.  
  
"Sir, the order you gave half an hour ago. If he did not speak, punish him." He stammered, confused.  
  
"I gave no such order. Someone will answer for this." Trowa hissed as a warning. "Dismissed."  
  
As the word was leaving his mouth, red lights began flashing and sirens began to wail.  
  
"What's happening?" Trowa asked.  
  
Cavel looked at his collar and leaned in to hear the transmission. "Sir, Lucky Vincent has escaped and disappeared." He listened closer. "And Yuy has been sighted heading down corridor three."  
  
"Which one?"  
  
"Heero Yuy, sir."  
  
Trowa nodded. "Put everyone on alert, and if Chase is still being held, put extra guards there. Heero won't leave without her."  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
Heero slipped into the darkness and eyed the soldiers that were still on his trail. He glanced back behind him as he felt a brush of air. Whirling around, he grabbed someone's arm, pulling him or her toward him.  
  
"Heero!" Chase hissed in his ear.  
  
"Gomen ne."  
  
She smirked. "Where's Quatre?"  
  
"Well hidden, I assure you."  
  
"Heero? If Trowa really has betrayed us and he has a computer, we might be in more trouble than just the fact that they are jumping from your world to ours..."  
  
"Explain."  
  
Chase took a deep breath, pulling him deeper into the darkness so that the soldiers would not hear her hushed whispers. "You see, Anna and I downloaded the plans for the Gundams on our laptops. We deleted them from hers and just kept them on mine, so if Trowa has Anna-chan's laptop, then we're okay, but if he has mine..."  
  
"He has the capability of creating a new Gundam."  
  
"Right."  
  
"He has yours."  
  
"Why am I not surprised?"  
  
Heero glanced out at where the soldiers had left. "We need to get that laptop back more than ever."  
  
"We could rebuild the Gundams, Heero," the smaller pilot said as she looked up at him. "We could fight the way we know how."  
  
Several soldiers passed and Heero pulled her tighter against him and the wall. "That's true. It's also very risky. Building a gundam after all this time..." he trailed off.  
  
"It may be the only way to win this one. It's the way we won before." Chase said.  
  
Heero nodded. "I agree. But we'll build that bridge when we come to it. First, we need to get that laptop away from Trowa. That may be easier said than done." He looked off into the hall. "Come on."  
  
Chase stared after him. "You mean cross the bridge when we get to it, right?"  
  
He motioned for her to follow impatiently. "We can't cross a bridge that isn't there."  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Are you sure you know how to get us out of here?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"That isn't comforting." Chase said.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Chase groaned. "You don't know what you're doing, do you?"  
  
They had come to a stop in front of a panel blocking the entrance to the docking bay. Heero chose to ignore her comment and began typing away. His fingers flew over them just as fast as they had in the years before and his bangs dropped over his eyes. Chase watched him work, and watched the door.  
  
A half minute later it slid open.  
  
He smirked at her. "O ye of little faith."  
  
Chase grinned. "You're one to be quoting scripture at me. What about Quatre?"  
  
"I told you he's safe. We don't have to worry about him. We just have to get out of here. After you."  
  
Trowa appeared at the end of the passage. "Chase!" he hollered.  
  
After pushing and prodding, Duo had finally given in to the long flight and left early that morning. It left Anna time to call the school and find out what Heero had done with -or to- her students on Friday. She pulled together her files and papers and got ready to leave when the blinds moved outside her window.  
  
"Aw, man, don't tell me they've found this place already." She muttered. She slipped over to the cord and yanked it back, fast.  
  
The patio was empty and the sky was grey.  
  
"Nerves." She murmured.  
  
She grabbed her bag and left, locking the door behind her.  
  
Sparky watched her go from across the courtyard. He picked up his cell phone. "It's her alright. Move onto position on the top deck. If she and our escapee are linked, he'll come here first. We'll get them both then." He said.  
  
The voice on the other end agreed and affirmed the plan.  
  
Sparky grinned wickedly. "Come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly."  
  
At six o' clock that evening, Anna finally left the school. After mildly panicking because she was short a student, the day went smoothly. It turned out her student had caught the flu at family reunion over the weekend. Anna half wanted to ask if it was a computer virus.  
  
Halfway home, her cell phone rang sending off the familiar `Clowns' jingle. She dug around in her bag and pulled it out.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"I don't think he's here, Anna. I can't find him anywhere." Duo greeted her.  
  
"Duo, you've been there half a day! How could anyone find him in half a day?" she exclaimed, crossing the street.  
  
"It would be easier with two people." He said helpfully.  
  
"Duo Maxwell, don't try to guilt trip me. There's nothing I can do about it. Where have you looked?"  
  
Duo sighed. "I've checked all hotels for reservations under Justin Quint, all restaurant reservations for the same, and every ball game, musical, opera, and fighting tournament. I think that maybe we were wrong. Maybe it's not him."  
  
"No, we can't be wrong. Check all of it again under Wufei Chang. And check under any seven of our names. Maybe he's sending out a hidden message." Anna suggested.  
  
"Okay. How are things there?"  
  
"Fine. Nothing much has happened except I thought Heero maybe killed one of my kids. He's fine." Anna smiled.  
  
"He's come a long way, give the guy some credit." Duo grinned.  
  
"Yeah. I better let you go, babe. We've got work to do." She sighed.  
  
"Yeah. I'll let you know when I find something." Duo promised.  
  
"Me to. Later."  
  
"Later."  
  
Anna dropped the phone back into her bag just as she reached the townhouse. As she placed her hand on the door, shivers ran up her spine.  
  
"Either I'm cold, or the old instinct is back." She said quietly. She proceeded inside as if she was totally oblivious. And Sparky watched her from across the courtyard.  
  
She dropped her coat over the couch and kicked off her shoes. She flipped on the radio and let jazz fill the house. She slipped her bag off onto the kitchen table and plugged the coffeepot in. She checked her messages, only one from Collins, but she'd cut out before the message was finished. Anna had just sat down with her drink when there was a faint knock on the door. She suddenly wished for her old magnum.  
  
"You're falling on old habits, my friend." She told herself wryly. She got up. She had a feeling that whoever was behind the door was not a threat to her. She opened it.  
  
"Hello? Anyone there?" she asked, peering into the darkness. This time, she wished that Chase and her had put a screen in. A figure slumped against the doorframe.  
  
"Anna?" it whispered.  
  
Her jaw hit the floor. "Quatre? My stars, what happened to you?" she exclaimed.  
  
He attempted a smile, and failed miserable. "I'm sorry to trouble you..." he started to waver.  
  
She grasped his shoulder and led him inside. "Come on, babe, let's take a look at you." 


	12. In the Hands of the Enemy

Chapter Twelve: In the Hands of the Enemy  
  
Chase looked strait ahead to the young man blocking their passage to freedom. "Blast."  
  
Trowa's dark green eyes softened slightly as he stepped toward them. "Chase-chan..."  
  
Heero took a protective step in front of his wife. "Touch her, and you're dead," he deadpanned.  
  
Trowa cocked an eyebrow. "Really?"  
  
Heero planted his feet firmly and reached back, taking one of Chase's wrists in his grasp firmly, making sure she wouldn't try anything foolish. "Really."  
  
"Heero," Chase whispered. "Just go. He won't hurt me and I can get out myself. They need you back where Anna is."  
  
Heero's eyes widened a fraction. "No, Chase. I'm staying with you. There is no way I will loose you again."  
  
Chase shook her head slightly. "Trowa?" She loosened her wrist from the Japanese man's grasp and stepped toward her former love. "Listen to me. You know I have never been one that is good at negotiations or anything of the sort, but listen to me now. I'll stay, but he leaves. Got it? It's that," she pulled a gun and aimed, "or someone won't get out of here alive."  
  
Quatre's eyes fluttered open to focus on a dark shadow that soon showed to be Anna. He sighed.  
  
"Hiya. What happened to you?"  
  
He made an effort to smile. "They have not changed tactics in the past ten years, I'm afraid. It's still a 'talk, or die' type of a deal."  
  
"Oh, Quatre," Anna breathed. "I'm so sorry."  
  
"Don't be. You couldn't do anything to prevent it. Don't blame yourself."  
  
"I know, it's just-" Her sentence was cut short as the computers sounded an alarm. She sighed. "Looks like Heero added a security system when I was asleep."  
  
Quatre smiled. "That's so like him." His smile flipped to a deep frown. "Go see who it is. We may have a problem."  
  
"Not 'may,' do," Cavel said as he and a group of soldiers stepped out of the darkness. "Too bad, Mrs. Maxwell, that you will not see your husband again."  
  
Quatre sat up in the loft bed, and Anna stood, moving over so she was shielding him.  
  
"Some security system, ne?" Quatre muttered softly.  
  
Anna didn't reply but was weighing her options. A lot depended on how different she looked from the last time Cavel had seen her, how much of the conversation they had heard, and how efficient a liar she could be. The last option wasn't looking so good.  
  
"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." She said cautiously.  
  
Cavel smiled cruelly. "Oh, but I think you do, Mrs. Maxwell."  
  
Anna shook her head. "I'm not Mrs. Maxwell. My name is Gabi Estes, and I'm a doctor. I'm not even married." She hoped she was looking clueless.  
  
"That's not what you said in New York." He retorted.  
  
"I've never been in New York." She persisted. "Look, I've got a patient to take care of, so if you don't mind?"  
  
He was getting agitated. "Yes, I mind. I have orders, sorry. Whether you're Anna Maxwell or not, and you are, you have to die." He cocked his gun.  
  
Her features became hard. "That's such a shame. We were just getting to know each other. In fact, you seem to know a lot about me. What's to say I don't know just as much about you?"  
  
Cavel shared a look with a soldier on his right. "You know nothing about me."  
  
"Sure I do. I know Trowa Barton; one of the best soldiers and assassins in history trained you. Isn't that right?" she said, smiling coyly.  
  
Several looks were shared among the young cadets. Cavel frowned. "Yes, that's right. But that has nothing to do with this."  
  
"Of course it doesn't. This is about you, darling. I know the day you were born, the day you were taken into the army, the way you felt when your sibling died, and the one who killed them." She said softly, almost hypnotically. While she was talking, she was moving closer to him, until she was mere inches away from his nose. His comrades were simply staring, not sure what to do.  
  
Cavel's eyes were wide with fear and hate. "How do you know that?" he hissed.  
  
Anna moved her hand over the gun pointed at her chest. "I didn't, it was an educated guess. Sparky."  
  
He realized her game too late. She grabbed his gun and whirled it around so it was against his gut.  
  
"Drop your weapons on the floor. All of them! Back up, towards the window, all of you. Do it now!" she barked.  
  
They did as she commanded, sending confused glances to Cavel. This wasn't in the briefing, and he wasn't acting much like a leader. He stood there, unmoving, glowering at her.  
  
"You tricked me." He snarled.  
  
"What did you expect? Sunshine and cotton candy? You make a war attack on my home and I do what we're both trained to do, fight back." She said exasperatedly.  
  
"I thought you were a lady of honor." He said deftly.  
  
She smirked. "I lost the lady title a long time ago, Sparky." She grabbed a syringe of one of the shelves near her and a bottle next to it. "Roll up your sleeves." She said.  
  
Fear and confusion hit their faces. "What are you going to do?" one of them asked.  
  
"Oh for heaven's sakes, people, do I look like Dr. Frankenstein?" she injected the first boy and he gently hit the floor. "It's a drug that induces temporary amnesia. Everything from the time you got up this morning to now will all be a blur." Half of them were asleep before she finished explaining.  
  
"You can do that?" Quatre asked in amazement.  
  
"Think of it as a parting gift from a mutual scientist friend of ours." Anna grinned.  
  
As the last of the group dropped to the carpet, she looked at Cavel. "Alright. Talk to the little man in your collar and tell him to take everyone but you out of here. Go on."  
  
Cavel slowly leaned to his collar. "Take everyone here back but me."  
  
"Sir?" a voice crackled.  
  
"Do it!" he bellowed.  
  
A white light enveloped the room and everyone but Cavel, Anna, and Quatre was gone. Anna secured Cavel's hands behind his back. "Downstairs, Sparky, while I decide what exactly to do with you."  
  
She smiled at Quatre. "Hang tight. I'll be right back."  
  
Quatre nodded. "I'm not going anywhere fast."  
  
Cavel made his way downstairs with the front of his own gun pressed into the small of his back. He made note of the two bedrooms, and the office and finally the bottom floor.  
  
"Nice place you have here." He said demurely.  
  
"Thank you, but you don't score any points with me, Tiger." Anna replied. She shoved him onto the couch and sat down opposite of him. "Okay. Now we're going to get down to business, and you're going to answer some questions.  
  
**~~~~**  
  
Heero placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled back. "Forget it, Chase, there's no way on earth I'm leaving you with him." He snapped.  
  
Soldiers flooded the hall behind them. Trowa simply gazed at them. "I don't think you have much of a choice, Heero. If you don't go, I will have them fire."  
  
"Yeah, I don't doubt it." Heero glared.  
  
"Go, Heero, while you can. I'll be fine!" Chase insisted.  
  
Heero shook his head. "No. Not on his life."  
  
"It's not my life on the line." Trowa responded. He motioned to his soldiers.  
  
Chase let her finger press down on the trigger and her gun fired off. The bullet scraped by Trowa, leaving a gash along his cheek. "I haven't lost my touch, boyo," she deadpanned. "Don't make me kill you."  
  
Trowa lifted a single finger and wiped the blood away from his face.  
  
The soldiers stood ready, not entirely sure what to do. "Sir?"  
  
Trowa narrowed his eyes, and looked straight at Chase. "I never underestimated you for a moment, Chase Yuy. I know the things you are capable of. EVERYTHING that you are capable of."  
  
"Exactly what does that mean?" she hissed, cocking her gun again.  
  
He smirked. "I've fought along side you. I know your style. I've even helped you learn." The slight trace of a smirk faded to his impassive look again. "I know that you would probably kill me for Heero's sake. You did choose him over me, after all."  
  
Heero cocked an eyebrow. "What?"  
  
Cavel's glare was strong as he stared at her. "I won't answer anything."  
  
She started to say something, but stopped when he smirked.  
  
"What are you going to do, Maxwell, kill me? Then I wouldn't be good for questioning, now would I?"  
  
"Where's Trowa?"  
  
Cavel simply shook his head. "I won't answer."  
  
"I suggest you tell the lady all that she wishes to know," a voice said from behind. "I've learned that she is not a force to be reckoned with."  
  
Anna turned and stared up into dark eyes. "Wufei..."  
  
The half smirk returned to Trowa's face. "She never said anything. I'm not surprised."  
  
Chase's glare intensified. "Maybe I never wanted to. You always said that was my choice."  
  
"That was a long time ago. Life is no longer a fairy tail." He said with a shrug.  
  
Heero kept shifting his gaze between them. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"You call fighting two wars and loosing your spouse a fairy tale? What book have you been living in?" she spat back.  
  
"Whatever life threw at me. I'm in control now." Trowa replied flatly.  
  
Chase shook her head. "You're sadly mistaken."  
  
Trowa's gaze fell on Heero. "I loved her, once. You're a lucky man. Or were. Lieutenant." He ordered.  
  
Fifteen guns cocked and one man stepped forward.  
  
Chase took a half step closer to Trowa and shifted her aim over. Her arms shook slightly with the tension she was putting on the trigger. "Trowa..." she warned. 


	13. We're Good at This Stuff, Right?

Chapter Thirteen: We're Good at This Stuff, Right?   
  
Cavel lunged forward on the couch. "I knew it! This place is crawling with gundam pilots!" he cried.  
  
Wufei trained a gun on him. "Don't move. She might not kill you, but I will."  
  
Anna's head was reeling. Four months ago she'd held Wufei's head in her lap and thought he was dying, and now she was inches away from touching his face. "Fei-chan..."  
  
"Not now, Anna." He said softly. "You were going to question our young friend."  
  
"Hmm? Oh." She turned with a glare to the seething Cavel.  
  
"I'll tell neither of you anything. I refuse! I took the blood pledge, the same as Commander Barton. If you kill me, it won't help you." He snarled.  
  
She leaned in close to him. "Then you've never died before, have you?"  
  
"What kind of question is that?" Sparky exclaimed.  
  
"An ironic one." Wufei suggested.  
  
He was about to spit back a retort when a thump and a mild yelp went off from upstairs.  
  
Anna turned. "What the heck?"  
  
Sparky grinned so hard his face nearly split. "It's Dana. You're finished anyway. That blonde business flaw is a goner. You don't think we didn't plan for something like this? We know you gundam pilots. We were trained by one after all."  
  
"That son of a gun! Quatre!" Anna took off towards the stairs.  
  
Cavel leaned back into the couch with a cat like smirk. "It's all over."  
  
Wufei glowered at him. "Don't be so sure, young one."  
  
"You're one to talk. You almost joined OWN, didn't you?" He asked.  
  
"I had prior loyalties."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
"Where is Barton?"  
  
"I will answer nothing."  
  
"Where is Barton?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"Who gave the order to attack the man known as Lucky Vincent while he was in custody?"  
  
Silence.  
  
Muffled shouts and three gunshots went off in the loft.  
  
Wufei leaned in close and looked ominous. "Answer the question."  
  
"General Victor relayed the order from Commander Barton to get information any way we needed to from Mr. Vincent." Cavel said shortly.  
  
"So he's in cohorts with Victor." He paused. "If she was killed or injured in any way, you'll be joining her shortly."  
  
Sparky glared at him.  
  
"Anna!"  
  
"What?" she called back, sounding slightly frantic.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine! It's not me I'd be worrying about!"  
  
The female soldier had slipped into the loft after all her comrades had vanished back to the base. She had seen the blonde Arab sleeping, and took advantage of the situation. She had grabbed a pillow and forced it over Quatre's face. Anna had burst in as the struggle increased.  
  
Using the gun that she had confiscated from Sparky, she gave two warning shots, and then hit the female in the upper shoulder. The girl slumped to the floor, clutching her arm. Anna was now sitting on the bed, shaking Quatre gently.  
  
"Quatre, Quatre, wake up. You're breathing, you goof, your pulse is fine, and I need you to wake up for me. Blast Trowa Barton, if I ever get my hands around his traitorous neck, I'll kill him! Come on Quatre, wake up!"  
  
Wufei appeared at the top of the stairs, pushing Cavel in front of him. When the young soldier saw his partner, he gasped and rushed to her side.  
  
"You killed her!" he cried.  
  
"You've never seen one of your comrades die before?" Wufei questioned.  
  
"Maybe you'll think about that before you shove a gun in my face the next time." Anna snapped.  
  
Quatre groaned and stirred. "What happened?"  
  
"Hey, relax. You could say we had a relapse." She replied gently.  
  
"Help her." The whisper came from the floor.  
  
Three pairs of eyes swiveled to the two enemies on the floor.  
  
"Excuse me?" Wufei asked incredulously.  
  
"Help her. She'll bleed to death." Sparky whispered.  
  
"You've got to be-"  
  
Anna silenced her Chinese friend with a hand on his arm. "I'll help her. On one condition."  
  
He looked up at her, a mix of fear, pain, and contempt in his eyes. "What's that?"  
  
"Tell me where Trowa Barton is, and what his schedule is." Anna said quietly.  
  
"Deal."  
  
"Good. Wufei, my room is the one on the right downstairs one floor. Go in and look in my top drawer in the dresser. Under the journals on the left there's a map. Bring it to me, would you?" Anna requested.  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Positive." She replied. She opened the top of the chest Dana was slumped against and pulled out a bag. She bent and looked Cavel in the eye. "Okay, Sparky. I'm going to uncuff you, and I need you to help me put her on the sofa over here. Don't try anything funny, okay."  
  
He nodded slowly. He watched her carefully while she freed her hands. "Why are you doing this?" he asked.  
  
"I'm a doctor before anything else. That includes being a gundam pilot." She responded.  
  
Slowly they moved her to the couch. He said nothing as Anna gave the girl something for pain, and cleaned the wound. She finished what she was doing, and administered the amnesia drug. Wufei returned with the map.  
  
She thanked him and spread it out on the floor in front of the young man. "This map is ten years old, but it has the four main colonies and earth within it. I need to know where Trowa's office is, where he trains, and where his superior is. Can you give me that?"  
  
He lowered his head. "Commander Barton will kill me if I relay all that information. And if he doesn't, my comrades will."  
  
Anna grabbed his chin. "If he kills you, he's a dead man. There's a lot riding on this, Sparky."  
  
Wufei knelt next to them and she let him go as he nodded.  
  
He finished telling him the approximate coordinates, and he gave the command to take him and the girl soldier back. Just before they vanished, Anna gave him the last dose of the amnesiac drug.  
  
"He won't remember." Wufei said.  
  
"I don't believe I watched you almost die." Anna murmured.  
  
A slight bit of sweat appeared across Chase's forehead as she glared daggers toward the man she had once cared for. "I don't want to kill a former friend, Trowa, but DON'T underestimate me."  
  
Heero placed a strong hand on her shoulder. "Chase, we're outnumbered," he murmured in her ear. "We don't have the weapons to fight this battle. Let's go."  
  
Chase gritted her teeth in frustration. "BAKA!" she yelled, glaring at Trowa. "LIAR!" Faster than any of the soldiers could follow, Chase was in front of him, gun under his chin.  
  
"And how do you figure that?" he asked calmly.  
  
Chase shook with emotions she hadn't felt in so very long. "You once said you cared about me. We were friends, Trowa. Prove that, and let us go now."  
  
"There's nothing to prove, Chase Yuy. The game has not gone your way."  
  
Chase brought her knee up and caught him in the stomach. Hard. "This is no game, Barton," she hissed.  
  
He gasped slightly, trying to regain his breath from the unforeseen attack. He coughed slightly and looked up at her dark green eyes. "Go back to your world, Chase Yuy, but you will not have it for long," he muttered.  
  
Chase backed away slowly, gun aimed at any soldier that dared to try and stop her. She did not turn until she felt Heero behind her.  
  
"Let's go home," he said quietly.  
  
They vanished from the bunker as suddenly as they had come, Chase leaving Trowa with a final glare. His astonished soldiers gathered around the spot where the gundam pilots had been.  
  
"Why'd you let them go, Sir?" a young man asked.  
  
"Because they'll be back. All of you are dismissed. Avis!" Trowa let his gaze become icy as he swept the rising blood off his cheek again.  
  
"Yes, Sir?" his right hand man replied.  
  
"Did you get what I requested?" Trowa barked at him.  
  
"Of course, Commander. I aim to please." Avis replied steadily. He looked up to his commander with the up-most respect. After all, Commander Barton had rescued him from the circus when he had left. He respected this man, but was not afraid of him.  
  
Trowa arched an eyebrow. "Very good. Which holding cell is he in?"  
  
"Two, sir." Avis said proudly.  
  
A smirk settled over the older man's features. "How ironic." His expression fell flat again. "Let's try to keep this prisoner of war a prisoner this time. We've lost three today all ready."  
  
"Of course. There is a triple guard posted around him."  
  
Trowa nodded his approval. "Have someone search his hair. This one's tricky."  
  
Avis saluted him, and quickly disappeared to follow the order. Alone, Trowa frowned. He slammed a fist against the wall. Frustration vented, he became the Silencer again, and headed for his office above ground.  
  
Wufei reached out and grazed her cheek with his thumb. "You only assumed I was dead or dying, Anna. You were the one that said not to ever assume anything."  
  
She gave a half smile. "Actually, Sherlock Holmes said it first. But I live in a world full of assumptions and guesses."  
  
"Not the Anna Maxwell I know." He replied softly.  
  
She slipped her arms around the justice-loving soldier, and hugged him. "Do any of us really know each other anymore?" she whispered.  
  
"Have any of us undergone a major personality change besides getting older, wiser, and tougher?" he asked.  
  
"I don't think so." She sighed.  
  
"So we're all the same, on the inside." He murmured.  
  
She pulled back and smiled at him. "I guess you're right." Her gaze fell on Quatre, who had fallen asleep. "But if I ever get my hands on Trowa Barton..."  
  
Wufei silenced (no pun intended) her by placing a finger over her lips. "Did you hear that?"  
  
They listened closely. Footsteps sounded downstairs in the kitchen. She nodded. He pulled his gun. "Stay here with the other gun and protect Quatre. He knows more than anybody."  
  
"Be careful." She agreed.  
  
He gave her a surprised look. "That hasn't changed either, ne?"  
  
She shook her head. "Not on your life, buster. Go." She said quietly.  
  
He grinned and disappeared down the steps to the second floor.  
  
Chase rounded the corner into the hallway. Anna should be here somewhere. "Where are you Maxwell?" she muttered.  
  
A strong sense of danger flooded her senses. Just like the old days. She whirled around, finding a gun pointed between her eyes. "Well, hello," she said quietly, trying to look past the barrel to its owner.  
  
"Looking for Anna Maxwell?"  
  
That voice...  
  
"Maybe. Who are you to ask?"  
  
Could it be?  
  
"You're not in the position to be making remarks like that, woman."  
  
Chase smirked. "It's been a while, ne, Fei-kun?"  
  
Wufei's eyes widened slightly as he took the gun away, looking into the dark brown eyes of the young blond who stood before him. In a way she did resemble his old comrade. She was small, in size and height. Her hair was longer and she dressed differently, and she wore black-rimmed glasses that rested on her nose. "Chase?"  
  
"Give the boy a prize!"  
  
He shook his head slightly. "Anna! It's just Yuy."  
  
"Never assume there is only one person in the house," Heero said from behind him.  
  
"Correction: Yuys."  
  
Anna laughed as she stuck her head around the corner. "Welcome back," she said smiling.  
  
"I don't know about y'all," Chase said, "but I'm hitting the shower then hitting the bed."  
  
"Me too," someone yelled from the other room.  
  
Anna smiled slightly at the sound of her husband's voice. Wufei frowned.  
  
Duo walked in with a bright smile on his face. "Hey guys!"  
  
"Welcome back to you too," Anna, replied.  
  
"Did Quatre make it here?" Heero asked.  
  
"Not in good shape, but he made it. He's resting upstairs," Anna answered.  
  
Heero nodded his understanding and walked off to the kitchen, leaving the small group.  
  
"Never one to socialize very long, are ya, buddy?" Duo asked.  
  
"Hn."  
  
Chase yawned as she crawled under the covers. There was a knock at the door and she glared slightly. "What?"  
  
"I can come back in the morning if you'd rather," Heero responded from outside.  
  
Chase sat up instantly. "No. Come in."  
  
The door opened and he walked into the room, eyes catching hers. "Something's been bothering me."  
  
"Hmm?" Chase asked, laying back down and waiting.  
  
"What went on between you and Trowa?"  
  
Chase paled considerably as she stared into his dark blue eyes. 


	14. When We First Practice to Decieve

Chapter Fourteen: When We First Practice To Deceive  
  
Quatre lay awake staring at the ceiling of his friend's loft, wondering where things had gone so wrong. Everything that had gone on for the last week was all wrong. Chase and Anna were never supposed to remember, much less get involved again. Heero wasn't supposed to contact them; he and Duo had done that on their own. Not that he wasn't glad to see them again, but it was under the same circumstances as they had been when they had first met twelve years ago.  
  
The only reason they had all come together in the first place was because of a war. It was the first time in years that he could remember being part of a unified group, like a real family. He and his father had never been close; their views had differed too much. But they had fallen in together so well even it had been awkward at first. Especially the friendship he shared with Trowa.  
  
"Do you really have to leave? I won't stop you, but at least tell me what your name is before you go. My name is Quatre Raberba Winner."  
  
"I have no name. But if you must call me something, it's Trowa. Call me Trowa Barton."  
  
"Goodbye, Trowa. We'll meet again."  
  
Quatre bit his lip and shifted so he faced the wall. There was a reason for Trowa's actions, and he wasn't going to give up until he found out what it was. He knew Chase had to be angry with the tall pilot, and Anna had already expressed her outrage at his treachery. The blonde Arab only hoped they could keep their tempers in check long enough for everything to be sorted out.  
  
Wufei knocked on the door at the end of the hallway. He knew it had to be Anna's, because the muffled arguing coming from the other room had to be Chase and Heero. He had never heard Chase and Anna really fight, any time they had it was staged. When Heero and Anna fought, you could hear it across the globe. Rather, you could hear Anna around the globe. When Chase and Heero fought, it was generally muffled at first, and then it escalated from there. Or rather, Chase escalated from there. So it was more than likely Chase and Heero in the other room.  
  
"Women," he thought dryly.  
  
"Come in!" she called.  
  
He slipped in and shut the door behind him. It was pitch black in the room, except for the moonlight pouring in the window. Anna was sitting on her bed staring out of the window and across the street.  
  
"May I join you?" he asked.  
  
She tossed a glance in his direction and nodded. He took the invitation and sat on the end of her bed.  
  
"Nani desu ka?" he asked quietly.  
  
"Just thinking." She replied.  
  
"Regretting."  
  
She lifted an eyebrow. "Tabun."  
  
"I'm sorry about your son, Anna."  
  
That comment got her attention. She pulled her gaze away from the stars and met his eyes.  
  
"What brought that on?" she murmured.  
  
"Just watching you and Duo earlier. And that picture of you and that boy." He said, indicating the photo on her dresser.  
  
She smiled, albeit a little sadly. "That's my nephew. He's a great kid."  
  
"He doesn't look like you." Wufei remarked.  
  
"He shouldn't. We don't share blood." Anna said. "Not that it matters."  
  
"Blood doesn't make a family." He said tentatively.  
  
"No, it doesn't." she agreed. "Like the seven of us, ne?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
The conversation lulled and they both watched the night sky.  
  
"Shooting stars..." Anna whispered absently.  
  
"Do you want it back?" Wufei asked.  
  
"What's that?" she questioned.  
  
"The necklace. I still wear it."  
  
Anna shook her head. "Keep it. It doesn't belong to me here."  
  
He nodded. "Chase and Heero are at it, I think."  
  
She snorted. "It's no wonder. She told me they encountered our fickle friend Mr. Barton."  
  
"Anna, you can't blame him for this whole thing. He's a link in a chain." Wufei warned.  
  
"He's supposed to be a link in our chain! He can't possibly be doing this undercover, look what he did to Quatre! Never in all my life did I expect to see the kind of injury done from one friend to another as the injury I found in Quatre. That would be like Chase beating me to a pulp, or me her, or Duo beating up Heero with malicious intent." She exclaimed.  
  
He sighed. "Anna, listen to me, this is a huge operation going on here. It's been in the works for almost six years. They came to me a year and a half-ago and offered me a high rank of seniority if I pledged my loyalty to OWN. To gather information, they agreed to let me have a trial so to speak of three months. At the end of three months I refused the offer, but I know what he's up to. Anna..." The ringing of her cell cut him off.  
  
She gave him an apologetic look and answered. "Hello? Oh, yes, hi, Rachel." Anna's look became more and more severe as the conversation continued, and she gave nothing more than several acknowledging grunts. Finally, she sighed. "Yes, I understand. They're sure? She's not pulling another stunt is she? No planted bodies?" There was a pause. "Yes, all right. I'll be there as soon as possible. Thanks, Rachel."  
  
Wufei gave her a questioning look as she hung up and stood to move towards her closet. "What was that about?" he asked.  
  
She turned towards him and put her hands on her hips. "He's kidnapped a coroner friend of mine. He's gone way to far this time." She smirked. "All though I don't envy the person who kidnapped Meg."  
  
"How do you know it was Trowa?"  
  
"Now you see Meg in the morgue, bright flash of light, Meg's not in the morgue anymore, but her very freaked out assistant is." She answered.  
  
Wufei nodded. "Sounds like Trowa." He moved and grabbed her wrist as she reached for the closet door. "Would you kill him?"  
  
Anna froze. Her eyes darted from face to face on the poster on her door. They landed on Trowa. "Possibly." She whispered at it.  
  
He twisted her wrist in his grip so she was looking at him. "You can't." he hissed.  
  
"Why not?" she hissed back.  
  
"Because you could no more stare down the barrel of a gun and shoot Trowa Barton than you could me." He said softly.  
  
She smirked. "I have stared down the barrel of a gun and shot you."  
  
Wufei frowned. "But you didn't do it with the intent to kill."  
  
Anna glared at him and wrenched out of his grasp. "I know. I fit both your no kill categories. Bleeding hearts and women."  
  
Downstairs, Duo looked around carefully, and listened closely before he pulled out of his bag what looked to be a two-way radio.  
  
"Avis? You there?" he asked after he turned it on.  
  
"Confirmed. Are you in?" the reply crackled over the static.  
  
"Like Flinn. None of them suspect a thing. The Chinese dude's got a problem with me, I think, but I'm assuming that's a personal thing. Not even my `wife' saw anything out of the ordinary." He responded.  
  
"Good. Keep them in the house as long as possible. Keep low; you won't have your cover long. Heero Yuy is bound to see something sooner or later. Cause as much friction between them as possible. If they're against each other they'll be useless as fighters when the Commander makes his move." Avis ordered.  
  
"What do I do when they find out?" he asked.  
  
"Do whatever you have to get out of there. And I mean whatever." Avis replied.  
  
The Duo-look-alike smirked. "Acknowledged. Duo out."  
  
"Avis out."  
  
Duo shut off the radio, leaned back in the couch and grinned like the cat that ate the canary. This would be interesting.  
  
Chase opened her mouth to respond to her husband when the doorbell rang. She closed her lips and glared. "I'll be right back. Don't move."  
  
She walked briskly down the hallway to the door and opened it, half expecting an annoying advertisement to be stuck on the door handle.  
  
"Jen-chan!"  
  
"Konban wa, Hikari. This really isn't the best time..."  
  
The young Japanese girl seemed to ignore her superior artist's not so subtle hints to leave. She walked right in. "Turn on your TV. Something is on."  
  
Hikari Mio didn't wait for Chase to turn her own TV on but raced to it and flipped it on.  
  
On the television a news reporter continued to talk from what appeared to have been in an ongoing story. "...And in other news, the four young people from the shootings at Luck Inc. the other day are believed to have retreated to somewhere in Chicago. They were put under suspicion after Dorothy Catalonia was arrested for leading the other attackers in the other night's shootings.  
  
"Mr. Vincent is no where to be found and it is believed that he was taken by this small group."  
  
Pictures of Chase, Anna, Heero, and Duo showed up on the screen.  
  
"These are the young people responsible for this. They are under the names of Jennifer Estes, Gabrielle Russell, Heero Yuy, and Duo Maxwell. If any information is known, please contact authorities.  
  
"And now a word from FBI agent Trowa Barton."  
  
Chase looked back at the small crowd that had gathered around the TV. "FBI? What the heck?!"  
  
"I would like to make it known that if any of these four people would step forward and help us find the rest, we would be happy to put them under our protection. Mr. Vincent must be found at all costs. We do offer protection."  
  
The television winked off and Chase slumped onto the couch. "He's making us look like criminals."  
  
"What is all this?" Hikari demanded.  
  
"Who's she?" Heero demanded, glaring at the young Japanese artist.  
  
"She works under me on Emeradudo Yoake. This is Hikari Mio. Hikari, this is Anna, Wufei, Duo, and Heero."  
  
"Wow. So this is all true or what?"  
  
"No. We were trying to help Mr. Vincent against the people that were trying to kill him for something that he knows. OWN, the division of it in Chicago is led by the man you saw in TV, Trowa Barton. They're trying to kill him, not us," Heero said.  
  
Hikari nodded.  
  
Duo snorted. "So what does he expect us to do? Turn each other in?"  
  
"Apparently." Wufei agreed.  
  
Anna groaned and flopped on the couch next to her friend. "I'm going to have my medical license revoked."  
  
"I guess you won't be teaching tomorrow." Heero remarked.  
  
She nodded and looked at Chase. "You can't go to the studio either. We'll be arrested if we're seen in public."  
  
Chase growled. "That idiot's made us fugitives."  
  
"And he's putting Quatre in the middle of it for his own gain." Heero added.  
  
The younger artist looked back and forth to all of them, and then to her boss. "You could always go to your place in Japan."  
  
"Trowa will find us there, too." Chase sighed.  
  
"It would buy you time, though." Hikari said.  
  
"One thing's for sure. We can't stay here. Your neighbors will recognize us, Anna's students, co-teachers, and doctor friends will; Chase's artists and friends will; and people who have seen Heero and I around will know us. One of them is bound to turn us in." Duo said.  
  
"He's right, for once." Chase acquiesced.  
  
He glared at her slightly.  
  
"We can't stay together, either. We have to split." Anna said flatly.  
  
"Split?" Hikari echoed.  
  
"No way, Anna." Heero said, shaking his head.  
  
"Maxwell's right, Yuy. We're way too easy to find this way. There are six of us together now." Wufei put in. "And one of us is going to have to go back to our `world' as they put it and join OWN undercover. They've kidnapped a coroner from this world." He added.  
  
"You know what that means. If Trowa's going after one of our friends, he'll go after others." Chase groaned. She looked at Hikari. "You better get out of here while you can. It's not safe around here right now."  
  
Hikari grinned. "It was never safe around you, Jen-chan."  
  
Wufei frowned. "She should stay here tonight and go at dawn. It would be safer for her to leave that way."  
  
"Whatever you think is best, boss." Hikari said, looking at Chase.  
  
"Keep in mind they probably have this place under surveillance." Heero said.  
  
"I know they do. About twelve of them showed up earlier and tried to finish the job Trowa started. I gave them a drug that induces amnesia." Anna said.  
  
"That's why he hasn't found our location yet." Wufei yet.  
  
"If she stays they'll think she knows more than she does." Chase pointed out.  
  
"She already knows to much." Wufei argued.  
  
"Me? I don't know anything. I just came by to drop off a sketch." Hikari said, looking innocent.  
  
"She's hung around her employer to long." Duo grinned.  
  
The employer in question glared at him. "Damade."  
  
Duo became suddenly serious. "When we split, we should go in three groups of two. At least we'll all have back-up that way."  
  
They all stared at him.  
  
"Duh, boyo, that's the way we always do it." Chase remarked.  
  
He flushed and muttered something incoherent. Out loud he said, "Well, I'll take Quatre. I know a place where they'll never look for us."  
  
Chase narrowed her eyes and saw Heero do the same. It had been a while since they were all together, but they had fought all ready, and in their pairs.  
  
The brown-eyed artist glared slightly at the one with the long braid. "Duo?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Chase took a deep breath, looking at him intensely, trying to figure out what was different.  
  
"I'll take Quatre," Heero said as he stepped forward.  
  
"C'mon, buddy, I've got the perfect place for him."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"..."  
  
"We need to know, Maxwell, or we won't be able to give you both back up if you need it," Wufei reasoned.  
  
Chase opened her mouth to speak when a loud knock came at the door. "This is the Chicago Police Department. Open up."  
  
Hikari looked at Chase for a moment. "I'll go with him and do the best I can. If they see me with him, they may believe he's really not up to anything because I'm not a suspect," she said in hushed tones so the police couldn't hear anything.  
  
"Or they may do just the opposite and take you in too," Anna responded.  
  
"I can take that chance. Hey, I was complaining earlier that this would be a quiet night," she answered with a smirk.  
  
Chase sighed deeply. "Do that, Hikari. Duo, send word to us where you'll be. I don't care how, just do it and don't let them know. Heero, I would assume you have some kind of plan, boyo?"  
  
"I have a place we can hide. They won't find us easily."  
  
"Police! Open up!"  
  
Chase sighed. "Let's do this."  
  
Anna grabbed her bag off the kitchen counter and handed Hikari her house key. "Here. When they question you tell them you let yourself in and no one was home. It's none of their business why you have a house key." She turned to the others. "We can go out the top deck, climb over about two decks and go down someone else's stairs."  
  
"They'll question the lights being on." Heero said.  
  
"Tell them we leave our lights on when we work late. By the time they search our work places we'll be long gone." Chase told Hikari.  
  
The police pounded on the door again. "Chicago PD, open up or we're coming in."  
  
"Get going! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine." Hikari whispered. Out loud she yelled, "Just a moment, please!" She then streamed off into frantic Japanese. She was actually quoting part of Chase's Emerald Dawn, but what Chicago cop would know?  
  
Chase grinned at her gratefully, and they disappeared up the stairs. Duo and Anna went first, and when they were on the second set of stairs, Wufei stopped Chase and Heero.  
  
"Tell me you noticed the weird part of that previous conversation." He murmured.  
  
"Besides the fact we're almost under arrest?" Chase said dryly.  
  
Heero nodded. "Oh, yeah. We noticed."  
  
Wufei looked serious. "You two hide wherever you like. That leaves Anna and I teamed up. I don't particularly want her wrath right now; most of that is derived at Trowa anyway. But something is askew with Duo, and I plan to find out what."  
  
"You're going to follow them." Chase said.  
  
"Absolutely." Wufei confirmed.  
  
"Be careful. If you're wrong it could be bad, if you're right it could be worse." Heero said.  
  
"Let's rock and roll, people." Anna hissed from upstairs.  
  
They heard the door open and several police officers rush in. The three dashed up the stairs. Duo was already on the deck, supporting Quatre, and Anna was finishing making the bed so it didn't look used. Wufei grabbed her arm and in a last minute dash she grabbed something out of the cabinet to shove in her bag. Heero shut the deck door behind them and they silently slipped away over the decks and down to the parking lot.  
  
"Oh, yay, another complication." Chase muttered as they stood in the parking area.  
  
"Now what?" asked Heero.  
  
"Two cars. Three teams." She replied with a huff.  
  
"Not a problem. Duo, Quatre, Wufei and I will share a car until we get to Rush Presbyterian Hospital. A friend keeps her car parked there. She's--out of town. She won't mind. Duo and Quatre can take my car from there." Anna said.  
  
Chase gaped at her. "You're letting Duo take your car? That hunk of junk?"  
  
Anna glared at her. "It's junky, but loyal. It's a lot more dependable than that tomato you own."  
  
"We'll see. That okay with you, boyo?" Chase asked.  
  
Heero nodded his approval. Duo helped Quatre into the car as Anna got in, and Wufei, Heero, and Chase shared one more last look.  
  
Two cars started in the dead of night. Anna rolled her window down, and Chase did the same.  
  
"Hey, take the back exit. And keep in touch." She said.  
  
Chase grinned. "I'll send you a postcard. Ja." With that, she drove off and out of site. 


	15. Tag, You're It

Chapter Fifteen: Tag, You're It.  
  
"You do realize that was a red light and if a cop stops us we WILL be recognized, ne?" Heero deadpanned.  
  
"Would you like to drive?" Chase asked sharply, glaring at the road ahead of her. "Where are we going, anyway?"  
  
"Take a left out of Chicago up there," Heero said.  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Out of the city limits. The Chicago PD knows we've been in their city, but the other cities around it might not have heard. We'll get a good distance away, but not as far as they would suspect."  
  
Chase opened her mouth to be silenced by the ringing of her cell phone. "What?" she demanded to the caller. Her eyes widened when she heard the man on the other side.  
  
"Chase, we know where you are and you are now putting your employees at risk. Careless and sloppy, Chase, leaving someone like this girl to take the heat. I suppose you can be classified as a Yuy now, though. A true soldier."  
  
"Barton," Chase hissed. "Hikari has nothing to do with all this! She doesn't know anything."  
  
"Amazing, but that's what she keeps telling us, though even though I hear it from you as well, I don't believe it. I want Quatre back here and I will give all of you a chance to join up with OWN. It's a very profitable business."  
  
Heero's eyes darted over to her as he heard her ramble a long line of curses. After she finished, she yelled some more. "You think I'd give Quatre over to you after what you did to him?! How stupid do you think I am?!"  
  
"Not stupid at all, Chase. If you knew anything, you'd understand I wasn't the one that beat him."  
  
"Yeah. You had someone else do your dirty work so your hands would be 'clean,' am I right?"  
  
"No. I never ordered his beating. Some misunderstandings occurred and that was dealt with."  
  
"You son of a-"  
  
Heero grabbed the phone away from her. "Drive." He then put the phone to his own ear. "Listen and listen good, Barton. I don't have any problems with killing you; no matter what former relationships you may have had with my wife. I think even she might be to the point she wouldn't stop me."  
  
"I'm sure you're ready and willing to kill me, Heero. I'm sure you may try, but you don't see the big picture. If you did, you'd see it my way."  
  
"Explain."  
  
"How about looking up?"  
  
The loud sound of a helicopter hovering overhead filled the area and Chase cursed. "I'm going to loose them. Hang on and hang up the blasted phone."  
  
Heero did so, tossing it out of the window in case it was bugged.  
  
Chase swerved off of the main road and into an alley. "They can't follow us through all these buildings. They'll get too tall too fast."  
  
"I hope you're right, and I hope they don't have any bugs in here."  
  
"How did they know where we were heading? I personally did a scan of the car yesterday!"  
  
Heero sighed heavily. "I'm not sure. Somehow Trowa's ahead of us on everything."  
  
"You don't think..."  
  
"Wufei may be correct. You have another phone, I'm sure?"  
  
Chase smirked. "I come prepared, you should know this by now," she said as she pulled a small cell phone out of her jacket pocket. She dialed the number. It rang until it hit the voice mail. "No answer."  
  
"Try again."  
  
"Same."  
  
"Leave a message telling Anna we're heading toward Dallas, Texas."  
  
"Are we?"  
  
"No."  
  
Chase frowned. "I hope Duo is OK," she muttered as she did as her husband ordered.  
  
Wufei, Duo, and Quatre all leaned violently to the right as Anna swerved into the parking garage of Rush Presbyterian. It was late, allowing for not many other cars to be in the vicinity, and no security guards.  
  
"Was all that drag race driving essential, Maxwell?" Wufei muttered.  
  
"Sorry. She's not warmed up yet. She'll be okay." Anna replied apologetically. Anna indicated a black car parked three spaces over. "Want to flip for it?"  
  
In the backseat, supporting Quatre, Duo shook his head. "Nah. We'll be fine with this. Right Q-chan?"  
  
Quatre smiled and tried not to grimace with the impact his side had taken. "It's fine, even though I have no clue where we're going."  
  
"Don't mind that." Duo said. He directed his next statement towards the front. "I'll contact the two of you when we get where we're going."  
  
"Or if you get in any trouble." Wufei added wryly.  
  
Duo grinned. "Especially if we get in trouble."  
  
"Try not too." Anna said.  
  
"Hey, trouble's my middle name." Her husband quipped.  
  
"And I thought it was Shinigami." Wufei grumbled.  
  
Duo leaned into the front and kissed Anna on the cheek. "Get going you two."  
  
They nodded. Anna grabbed her bag, and she and Wufei got out of the car.  
  
Quatre decided to stay in the back and lie down while Duo got up front and drove. The braided man gave a final wave before disappearing out of the garage.  
  
Anna stared after the car until something in her bag vibrated. She reached in and pulled out a phone differing from the usual. She flipped it open to find a voice mail.  
  
"What is it?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Dallas." She replied.  
  
"That's where they're going?"  
  
She glanced around the parking area, trying not to look suspicious. "Yeah. I'll drive."  
  
"I was afraid you'd say something like that. You're beat. Let me drive. Get in." Wufei said. She handed him the keys and complied. He slid into the beamer and sped out onto the street, eyeing the Duo's car quite away down the street. It wasn't hard to spot because of the peeling paint job. He headed in that direction.  
  
"Is this vehicle bugged?" he asked.  
  
"It's possible, but doubtful. Trowa kidnapped Meg, why would he bug her car?"  
  
"Because he's thorough. In everything." Wufei sighed.  
  
"So I noticed."  
  
"I take it they're headed somewhere after Dallas?"  
  
Anna caught the double meaning. "Yeah. She didn't say where, though."  
  
Wufei clenched his jaw. Wherever Duo was heading, it was definitely out of the state. He took the exit marked for Gary, Indiana. Wufei had the sneaking suspicion that New York would wind up the final destination. What he was afraid of though, was that Duo would turn out to be a traitor after all. He turned the radio on and turned it up so it was blaring.  
  
"You took the laptop, didn't you?" he asked softly, knowing full well Anna could hear him.  
  
A smirk crossed her features. "Of course."  
  
They exchanged glances. "Of course. You're the only one he hasn't seen." He murmured.  
  
"Exactly." She replied.  
  
His jaw re-clenched as he followed Duo's car, just keeping it in sight.  
  
The Duo double kept a continuous watch of the man in the backseat. Quatre had tried to keep up conversation, but he was just too tired. Duo had finally told to get some rest and not to worry. Just like that, Quatre had dropped off, dozing against the armrest. As soon as Duo had said, "Relax, trust me," he had.  
  
So trusting.  
  
The look-a-like shook his head. "Poor fool." He uttered under his breath. That was something he decidedly did not understand. One thing his trainer had pounded into him in training was not to trust anyone, even your own comrades, if you had any. Yet, these six had a definite trust in each other. And his employer Commander Barton had once made seven. It was weird.  
  
He almost felt sorry for them all. They were all going to be ripped apart one by one and they wouldn't even see it coming. It would be so easy once this one was back under Trowa's imprisonment. Then they would bring in the other double and it would be too late to stop the plan.  
  
Yes, he felt bad. But he had orders. Those orders were to secure Quatre Raberba Winner, also known as Lucky Vincent, and bring him back. And if he had time, pick up the girl in New York.  
  
He frowned, remembering the looks that had passed between the one called Chase, Heero, and the Chinese man. Instinct told him they suspect something was up, but they weren't saying anything. That would have to be dealt with. That foolish girl that was supposed to be his `wife' didn't suspect anything.  
  
"I guess that's what marriage does to you. Blinds ya." He said quietly. He pulled his transmission radio out of his pocket.  
  
"Avis? You out there?" he asked, making sure Quatre didn't wake up.  
  
"Of course. I'm always on standby." Avis replied.  
  
Duo rolled his eyes. "My mistake. I've secured mission objective. I'm in route to Columbus, Ohio. I'll fly to New York from there."  
  
"Are you being followed?"  
  
Duo checked his side mirrors. He hadn't seen that beamer in half an hour, so it was safe to assume that the Chinese man hadn't followed. "Negative. Just me, sleeping beauty back here, and the road ahead."  
  
"Sleeping beauty?" Avis asked, confused.  
  
"Never mind. ETA is two and a half days. What's the current status on capturing the Yuys?"  
  
"In progress, nothing confirmed. They're determined people." Avis said, irritation edging his tone.  
  
"Well, be aware that they think something's up with me. It might pass, but it's a good thing Commander made the statement when he did." Duo said.  
  
"Noted. By the way, does the girl we arrested know anything?"  
  
He thought over the last conversation. "Nothing we don't know all ready."  
  
"All right. Commander Barton will greet you personally when you get back. It might shock our foreign friend into spilling what we need to know." Avis said.  
  
"Yes, sir. Is that all, Avis?"  
  
"Yes. Drive safe. Avis out."  
  
Duo shut the radio off and put it on the seat next to him. He gave one final glance to the backseat, and then settled in for a long night of driving. Quatre only stirred slightly as they turned a curve in the road.  
  
"So where are we going?"  
  
"New York."  
  
"Won't they look for us there?"  
  
Heero glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "They think we're going to Dallas. We'll head the opposite direction."  
  
Chase nodded and kept her eyes trained ahead as her speed increased. She felt her husband's hand on her shoulder as he told her to slow down.  
  
"Being noticed will not do us any good at the moment, Chase," he whispered. "And when you get tired I'll take over."  
  
"That may be a while. You might want to get some sleep."  
  
He shook his head. "No."  
  
She sighed and settled in for the long drive from Chicago to New York. She didn't know what they'd find there. Dorothy was gone. She'd been taken away by Trowa. Duo was a possible traitor. Things were just looking darker and darker by the moment.  
  
"I thought we were through with all of this," she muttered. "Why can't we just settle down and have normal lives?"  
  
Heero placed a hand on her shoulder. "Chase-chan, if we had lived normal lives, we would not be sitting here now, simply because we would never have known each other."  
  
The words hit home and the next several hours were spent in silence. 


	16. Friction Among Us

Chapter Sixteen: Friction Among Us   
  
"What do you mean they got away?" Trowa nearly bellowed into the phone. Not much got under his skin, but this broke the bank. "You have the best futuristic equipment, heat tracking, and the car is bugged, and you let them get away?" he growled lowly.  
  
"Sir, may I remind you that the people on the team you sent were amateurs, not fully trained in recovery missions." Avis said carefully.  
  
Trowa cursed under his breath. "Avis, I spent four months with that group and they were some of the best marksmen I'd seen. What happened when Victor got them? He was supposed to finish that part of the training."  
  
Avis blinked, staring unseeing at his monitor. "General Victor didn't tell you?"  
  
"Tell me what?"  
  
"General Victor has been interviewing private parties for almost four months now."  
  
"Interviewing? Avis, explain."  
  
"I'm not sure I should do that without General Victor's approval." Avis faltered.  
  
"Avis," Trowa warned.  
  
"General Victor is trying to hire out a sniper."  
  
Trowa leaned back in his chair and narrowed his eyes. "A sniper? As in one?"  
  
"Yes, Sir, just one."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I'm not authorized to have that information. You'd have to ask General Victor."  
  
"I see. How's our little project coming?" Trowa asked with a sigh.  
  
Avis grinned. "She's almost finished, Sir. We just need you for the finishing programming."  
  
"Very well. I'm going to stay here a while longer. Finding Chase and Heero is not my top priority right now. But I want efforts to recover all of them to continue."  
  
"Understood."  
  
"Good-bye, Avis." Trowa hung up, not waiting for a reply. He eyed the pictures of his former comrades on his desk. "So you've slipped through my fingers again, ne, Chase?"  
  
"Finally." Wufei muttered. They'd been driving half the night. The Chinese man had begun to wonder if Duo was going to drive straight through to New York.  
  
Anna had long ago fallen asleep next to him, something that he was also grateful for. He could tail Duo more closely without her paying attention to their exact location. They had both gotten antsy earlier, until he threatened to throw her out of the skylight if she even thought of asking, `Are we there yet?'  
  
Wufei parked in front of the hotel several rows away from Anna's car. He waited unto Duo had come back out to collect Quatre and go inside before stirring his companion.  
  
"Anna, wake up. We're stopping here for the night."  
  
She was still sleeping.  
  
"Anna? Wake up."  
  
Nothing.  
  
"We're under attack!"  
  
Pause.  
  
Blink.  
  
"What?!? Where? Where are we?" she jerked awake struggling against the seatbelt.  
  
"Sorry. False alarm." He said mildly.  
  
She glared at him and smacked his arm. "Baka."  
  
He grinned.  
  
"Where are we?"  
  
"Just outside of Cleveland, Ohio." He replied.  
  
She rubbed her temples. "Cleveland rocks, Cleveland rocks." She sang under her breath.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Never mind."  
  
"Come on then. Grab your bag and let's go. I've got cash. We'll share a room for tonight, okay?"  
  
She considered momentarily. "Okay, but no fast moves."  
  
"Ha. The only fast move I'll make is the run for the shower."  
  
He got out and opened the door for her. "Get in that shower before me and I'll cut all your hot water." She said, taking his hand to get out.  
  
Wufei laughed. "You don't know how to do that."  
  
"Oh, really? I've done it before. Twice."  
  
"You can get the shower first. Be my guest."  
  
As they reached the front door, Anna turned and looked over the parking lot.  
  
"What is it?" Wufei asked.  
  
"I thought I heard some--hey! Isn't that my car?" she exclaimed.  
  
Wufei cringed. "Can't be. Duo has your car. Come on, before the sun comes up."  
  
She followed him inside, glaring suspiciously at the top of his head. "On second thought, Fei-chan, you can have the shower first."  
  
Chase growled as they hit the third bump in the last ten minutes. Her sketch paper would be worn through from the erase marks if this kept up. She adjusted her glasses and tried again.  
  
"You're straining your eyes."  
  
Dark eyes glared over the rims of her glasses. "Damade, Heero. You're the one aiming for the bumps."  
  
He smirked. "I would never aim to mess your sketches up, Chase-chan."  
  
She playfully swatted at him and then turned back to her work, ignoring his earlier warning. "Do you think they'll hold Hikari?" she asked distantly.  
  
"I don't know. It depends if they think she knows anything. Trowa will find out, one way or another, what she does know. Then it will be all up hill from there. If she's got a big mouth, we're in trouble."  
  
Chase grinned proudly. "She can keep a secret. She did keep Emerarudo Yoake under wraps when people were begging to know the details."  
  
Heero smirked slightly. He then reached over and snatched the pencil from his wife's hands.  
  
"What was that for?" she demanded.  
  
"I told you before: you're straining your eyes. There's not enough light for it to be comfortable to see."  
  
Chase sulked slightly and then slumped in her chair. "Are we going to stop for the night?"  
  
"If we do, it won't be at a hotel."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"Have you been sleeping through this whole ordeal?"  
  
She glared. "No. I just thought that no one would recognize us."  
  
"You're known for your work, aren't you?"  
  
"In Japan. How likely is it that the hotel is run by Japanese people who were watching the news and know my face?"  
  
Heero smirked slightly. "True."  
  
"Very."  
  
Chase nearly threw herself on the bed when she walked into the room. Her body wasn't use to this. Sleep was needed, a lot of sleep.  
  
"Scoot over," Heero said. "You don't get the whole bed."  
  
Chase sat up suddenly. "Doesn't the room have two beds?"  
  
Heero cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"We're not exactly married in this world, Heero..."  
  
He shook his head slightly and looked at her. "I didn't want to make a fuss over what kind of room they gave us. This will due. Just scoot over."  
  
Chase sat up, but didn't move, unsure of what to do.  
  
Trowa smirked slightly. He seemed to have figured out the way that the Yuys worked. Heero hadn't stopped until they had been on the road for more than thirteen hours. He was also taking a round - about way to New York, where he was sure they were heading. Heero never would do anything to lead them to suspect his destination or when he would stop, but Trowa knew.  
  
"Did the spies you put along the road spot them?" a feminine voice asked softly and sadly from the shadows.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"You know this is wrong, Trowa. Please stop it."  
  
"I'm doing what needs to be done, Catherine."  
  
Catherine Bloom stepped over and hugged her younger brother, tears falling freely. "No, Trowa, you're wrong. I know I'm not a soldier like you, but I do know what you're doing is wrong. Heero is your comrade, and you loved Chase. Why destroy everything?"  
  
Trowa smiled. "I have my reasons, Cathy. Like them, you can't see the big picture."  
  
Catherine glared. "I sure hope your 'big picture' isn't going to get anyone else killed, Trowa Barton, or you'll never get the blood off of your hands." That said, she turned and stormed out of his office, leaving silence in her wake.  
  
Heero opened his mouth to tell Chase to move again, but a sound caught his ear. He stopped and listened.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"Hush."  
  
Chase strained her ears. They were not use to picking up the slightest sounds any longer. Then it hit her.  
  
"Get down!" Heero shouted as bullets showered the room.  
  
Chase felt herself being tackled to the floor. She looked up to see Heero over her, eyes staring strait down at her. "Are you okay?"  
  
"It's still coming."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
"I'm not surprised."  
  
"No," Chase whispered. "Not a direct order from him."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean Trowa would never intently hurt me."  
  
Heero nodded.  
  
Chase cleared her throat. "Heero, the bullets have stopped."  
  
He nodded and rolled off of her. "Be careful and don't stand up where they can see you."  
  
"I may have been out of the business for a while, but I'm not stupid," she muttered.  
  
He glared. "Let's go. I think we've worn out our welcome."  
  
Wufei pushed open the door and stepped inside. Anna passed him as he flipped on the lights. It stayed dark in the room, and yet oddly enough they could see fine. The American girl stepped further into the room and let out a happy cry.  
  
"Duo!" she called.  
  
Wufei looked at him suspiciously. "Maxwell--"  
  
Anna flung her arms around him, and Duo embraced her. Wufei just watched, felling like the odd-man-out. But the look Duo gave him left him feeling cold inside, as if he'd swallowed an ice cube. Duo was grinning a maniac like grin that was very... un-Duo like.  
  
The Chinese man glanced around and noticed it was pitch black around them. He looked back just in time to see Duo raise one arm over the girl in his arms. Wufei forced his gaze up to the knife in Duo's hand.  
  
She never saw it coming.  
  
"Anna!" he screamed.  
  
"Anna!" Wufei jolted up in the hotel bed; droplets of sweat glistening off his forehead.  
  
He quickly assessed the girl in the bed next to his. She was still there. In a rush, the memories of the evening flooded back into his brain. The shower, her taking one after him, the movie they had watched, and Anna acting edgy all night. And now she was stirring from his outcry.  
  
"Wufei? You okay?" she mumbled.  
  
He flopped back against the pillows. "Yeah. It was just a nightmare."  
  
More alert, she spoke again. "What about?"  
  
"Nothing. Go back to sleep." He replied.  
  
Silence reigned over them, but Wufei could tell by her breathing that she wasn't asleep. After a good deal of time, he got what he'd been waiting for.  
  
"You lied.' She accused softly.  
  
Pause. "How's that?"  
  
"It is my car out there. I went and checked the license plate number while you were showering."  
  
"What a coincidence." He said lamely.  
  
"Oh yeah. I thought so."  
  
"Accident." He shrugged.  
  
She shifted under the sheets. "You followed him on purpose."  
  
"And?"  
  
"I want to know why."  
  
He sighed. "Can it wait?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Anna, don't you think it's a little bit weird that the first person Duo wanted to go with was Quatre?"  
  
She rolled over so she was facing him in the dark. "He had a good spot to hide him."  
  
"He's headed for New York!" Wufei snapped.  
  
"So what? New York's a big place!"  
  
"You're only fooling yourself, Anna. You and I both know Duo's a better strategist than that. Something's up."  
  
Anna turned over on her back and glared up at the ceiling. How could he believe this? "You think he's a traitor, don't you." It wasn't a question.  
  
Wufei stared at the side of her head and listened to her controlled breathing. He almost grinned; she was using a technique he had taught her.  
  
"I don't assume anything at this point. We just thought it was strange that he didn't chose his wife of twelve years. I would have." He said the last part under his breath.  
  
"Well I'm not your wife and you got me anyway. I hope you're happy." She muttered.  
  
"Anna, don't be unreasonable-" he started.  
  
"Unreasonable!" she exploded. "You're accusing my husband of being a condemnable traitor!"  
  
"Hey, don't blame me! None of this would have happened if..." he cut himself off.  
  
"If what?" Anna asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"What?" she demanded.  
  
"None of this would have happened if you had married me in the first place." He barked.  
  
They both froze as the statement rang through the room.  
  
"After all this... You... You're still... Aren't You?" she struggled to form a coherent sentence.  
  
"I don't know." He said shortly. This wasn't a topic he liked going over, and they hadn't talked about it since they were sixteen.  
  
"Well you had better figure it out, Wufei. It's way too late for that box. Even if Duo is a traitor -which he is not- I'm still married to him." She snapped.  
  
"Anna..."  
  
"Good night, Wufei." The tone said shut-up-or-die.  
  
He fell silent. Anna lay in bed, fuming. How dare he do this now! She thought. Who does he think he is? She glared at the ceiling. Enough was enough. They needed information, no more. They needed the truth or the whole lot of them would fall apart. She waited until he was asleep again to make her move. 


	17. Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?

Chapter Seventeen: Do I Dare Disturb the Universe?  
  
The sun hadn't been in the sky for more than two hours when Wufei awoke to find himself alone in an empty hotel room. He blinked in confusion. The bed next to his was empty and made, and his clothes were folded on the chair. Had he come here alone and dreamed it? No... He flung the covers off and dashed to the window. To his surprise, both cars were there.  
  
"How?" he murmured. He observed the room again. The bag was gone. And that meant the laptop was gone as well.  
  
"Shimatta." He growled. He yanked his jacket off the hangar and took the phone out. At least he'd gotten that out of the bag. Wufei hit redial and hoped for the best.  
  
In a car about three hours away, Heero was once again behind the wheel, with Chase next to him. The sudden blaring of the phone sliced through the quiet morning.  
  
Chase and Heero exchanged glances. They'd all ready barely escaped death by climbing out a window before dawn; dare they risk it being a trap?  
  
Chase looked at the number. "It says it's Anna's back-up phone."  
  
"Risk it then. They may have an update for us." Heero said.  
  
Chase nodded as she pushed talk. "Anna?"  
  
The greeting didn't surprise Wufei. "No, Chase. Let me talk to Heero."  
  
"Good morning to you too. You sound like you got less sleep than we did." Chase said.  
  
"I doubt it." Heero sighed.  
  
"Possibly. Can I speak to him?" Wufei asked.  
  
"He's driving."  
  
"He's multitalented." Wufei countered.  
  
Chase handed the phone to Heero.  
  
"Hello?" Heero asked.  
  
"Heero? She's gone."  
  
Heero blinked. "Who?"  
  
"Who do you think? Anna!"  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I don't know. Ask Chase if she has the laptop."  
  
Heero complied. Chase nodded. "Of course I do. It's in my bag. Right... Wait...Heero? It's not my bag; it just has my sketches in it. Anna and I must have grabbed wrong ones. Why would she put my sketches in there?"  
  
"Chase doesn't have it. You two do." Heero said, not sounding happy about it.  
  
"No, Anna has it. And she used it, because she's not here but the car is. And Heero? She knows we suspect Duo of being up to something."  
  
Heero groaned and smacked the top of the steering wheel. "Great. Look; just keep following Duo and Quatre. We'll deal with it."  
  
"All right, but only for now. If she's doing what I think she's doing, I'm going in after her." Wufei said.  
  
"Fine. We'll build that bridge when we get to it. Ja."  
  
"Ja ne, Heero."  
  
Heero hung up and looked at Chase. This was getting more and more difficult all the time. They heard a helicopter whine faint in the distance. Heero's look became grim and he shifted the car into a higher drive.  
  
Trowa walked silently down the ornate halls of the palace. The old castle served as the military headquarters for OWN, and all the top leaders as far as Victor gathered there. He only hoped Victor was there today and not out... training. Although, from what Trowa had seen, Victor's training was far inferior to his own.  
  
He ran his hand up the mahogany finish before rapping his knuckles against the wood.  
  
"Enter."  
  
Trowa grasped the doorknob and turned it. That was Victors' voice all right. He stepped inside.  
  
General Victor stood, his surprise showing. "Trowa, come in, have a seat. I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you were in the past FBI."  
  
"I was. My presence is not required now." He replied evenly. He sat gracefully in the chair Victor offered.  
  
Victor smiled a cool grin at the younger man. "Something on your mind?" he ventured, retaking his own seat.  
  
"Yes. I have gotten word you are trying to hire an assassin." Trowa said.  
  
Victor poured himself a drink and looked at Trowa to offer him one. Trowa declined. Victor smiled again. "News does travel fast. I suppose the local grapevine informed you of this."  
  
"I have my resources."  
  
The General sipped his drink and regarded him carefully. "Very well, Commander Barton. Yes, I am going to hire an assassin. I wanted to find Odin Lowe, but he's apparently as dead as he seems. So I'm looking into other avenues."  
  
"Like who?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Fear not, Trowa. I'm not hiring any of your old playmates. Not yet, anyway." Victor answered. "I have an interview today -make that two- and I will make my choice."  
  
"I'd like to meet them after you hire one." Trowa said.  
  
"Of course. If you'll excuse me, now?"  
  
Trowa stood, bowed, and took the dismissal. Once outside, he clenched his fist. He had to get Chase and Quatre back before that sniper was hired. He had a feeling if he didn't take care of it, Victor would.  
  
"Do they ever give up?" Chase demanded as she watched the oncoming helicopter from the rear view mirror. She let out a small squeak as a bullet hit it and it shattered into a million pieces.  
  
"Take the wheel," Heero said as he started to climb out of the driver's seat.  
  
The car slowed slightly during the time when no foot was on the gas, but then sped back up as Chase made her way to the seat. "What in the worlds are you doing?"  
  
Heero had climbed into the back seat and was rummaging through the bags he had brought. He soon found what he was looking for and a slight smirk crossed his thin lips. "This." He held up a large gun, fully loaded, Chase imagined.  
  
"Where's an old fashion bazooka when you need one?" she muttered under her breath.  
  
"Not here," Heero said as he returned fire, fairly unaffectedly.  
  
"Sit."  
  
Heero looked at the young woman in the front with questioning eyes, but did what he was told when she slammed her foot down on the gas.  
  
She swerved this way and that, throwing the young Japanese man around the back. It was effective though.  
  
"Where exactly do you expect to loose them in the middle of no where?" Heero asked.  
  
"I'm not trying to loose them at the moment. Just trying to avoid getting the gas tank hit by one of those bullets. That or us. One thing at a time, boyo."  
  
He glared at the man inside the helicopter. This was not how he had thought everything would turn out. 


	18. I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar

Chapter Eighteen: I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar  
  
Catherine paced the hotel room Trowa had picked out for her. She couldn't figure out the reasons behind her brother's actions, or his "big picture". All of it was wrong; he wasn't the boy she'd grown to love during the first war. That Trowa was calm, bright and liked his solitude, whom had then accepted the other pilots as his friends. Now he was cynical, harsh, cruel, and had made his former friends his enemies. Not to mention, he was wanted by the Preventers for criminal actions. There wasn't a lot she could do. She didn't work for the government, or the Preventers, and she didn't have any contact with any of the gundam pilots anymore. She stopped pacing and picked up the hotel phone. But there was one contact she did still have. Slowly, she dialed the number.  
  
"Hello? Yes, I'd like to talk to Lady Une. Yes, it's important. I have information on the whereabouts of Trowa Barton. I'm sure, No! It's not a prank. Yes, I'll hold." Catherine took in a deep breath. She hoped she was doing the right thing.  
  
"Lady Une? Yes, my name is Catherine Bloom, do you remember me?"  
  
On the other end of the line, Lady Une pushed up her glasses in surprise. "Of course, Ms. Bloom. What can I do for you?"  
  
"Forgive me, this is rather awkward. I know that you're looking for my brother?"  
  
"Yes, I'm afraid so, Ms. Bloom." Lady Une sighed. It was only the biggest thing going on among the Preventer agents. Heero had quit, and he was her best agent. They had had no success whatsoever in foiling any of OWN's plots.  
  
"Well, the thing is, I have information." Catherine said quietly.  
  
Lady Une sat up straight. "What kind of information?"  
  
"I know what city he's in right now, and what hotel. I don't know where his main base of operations is. I was blindfolded when I was taken there earlier."  
  
"Where are you now, Ms. Bloom?"  
  
"Back in the hotel."  
  
"Where is Trowa Barton?" Lady Une asked as gently as possible. This could be vital. If they could get to Barton before the all out battles began, it could save a huge number of lives.  
  
Catherine paused. She felt like the traitor, turning over her own brother, but what else could she do? "He's in Berlin at the Grand Crown hotel. I'm in a hotel outside of Berlin."  
  
"I take it he's here?" Lady Une was still having a little difficulty believing that these people had infiltrated the past.  
  
"Yes. Last I knew."  
  
"Thank you, Catherine. I hope you know what this means to us." Lady Une told her, already dispatching agents in the Berlin sector.  
  
"Just...Can you keep him alive?" she asked. She'd always feel guilty if anything happened to him.  
  
"We'll do our best. He may not even be there by now. Thank you."  
  
"Of course, Lady Une. Good bye."  
  
"Good bye."  
  
There was a soft click, and Catherine laid the phone back in the cradle. "Just don't plan on dying, little brother." She whispered.  
  
When you wanted something done, most of the time it was better to do it yourself. That was what Anna kept telling herself as she stalked quietly down the halls of the palace serving as OWN's headquarters. It hadn't taken her long to find out where it was, not with a little hacking using the laptop. Once she found it, she found out that a man in the organization named General Victor was looking for an assassin. It was her lucky day.  
  
Unfortunately for Victor, working for him was not her main objective. Her main objective was to get as close to Trowa Barton as possible, so she could find out what the heck was going on. However, Trowa would know who she was as soon as he saw her. So Anna changed her physical appearance using the laptop. She had shortened her hair to shoulder length, made it black, and put in deep grey contacts. She took about three inches off her height and the illusion was complete. And now she was going to be hired by the enemy.  
  
She pulled down the sleeves of her emerald green turtle neck as she reached the desk of what she assumed was Victor's secretary.  
  
"Can I help you, Miss?" the girl asked. She couldn't have been more than sixteen.  
  
"Yes. I have an appointment with General Victor." Anna said quietly.  
  
"Right down the hall. He's expecting you." The girl replied amiably.  
  
Anna nodded her thanks and disappeared down the aforesaid hall. She stopped in front of the office door she assumed was Victor's and knocked.  
  
"Enter."  
  
She did.  
  
He glanced up from his papers and stood quickly. "Oh, please, come in. I didn't realize I would be in the company of a lady. I am General Victor."  
  
"Yes I know. Does my being a female surprise you?" Anna said. She tried to remain as cool as possible.  
  
He smiled coyly as she took her seat. "Yes, actually it does. I haven't had a female try for the job before."  
  
"Well, what can I say? I'm one of a kind." Anna smiled back.  
  
Victor nodded and sat down. "What's your name?"  
  
"Hoshimawari Mei. People who save time call me Mei." She answered.  
  
"Interesting name. You do know what it means?" Victor said, leaning forward.  
  
"Of course. That's why I chose it."  
  
"One's dark star or destiny. Very well chosen. Do you have any references?"  
  
Anna smirked. "Not any that are still among the living."  
  
"Any relatives?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Friends?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Colleagues?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Experience?"  
  
"Plenty."  
  
"Proof?"  
  
"Gravestones, maybe."  
  
"Enemies?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"How many?"  
  
"Not that many."  
  
"A threat to security?"  
  
"Yours or mine?"  
  
Victor laughed. "Touche." He paused. "Are you good?"  
  
"I'm alive." Anna said quickly.  
  
"You're hired." Victor said, settling back in his chair.  
  
Anna arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"  
  
Victor nodded. "Yes. Anyone I've asked before has answered that question with `the best' `of course' or some other macho thing like that. I need someone who isn't so cocky they'll get killed in five minutes, but someone confident enough to get the job done. I think you fill that nicely."  
  
Anna smiled. "Well thank you."  
  
"Now there's the matter of price."  
  
"I'm easy to please."  
  
"I need you full time, so you're there when I have a specific job."  
  
"That's fine. My schedule's open."  
  
"Good, good. How about an opening price of one million?"  
  
Anna tried not to let her eyes bug out of her head. "Sounds reasonable." She murmured.  
  
"And an apartment..."  
  
Anna nodded.  
  
"And a trainee."  
  
She blinked. "A trainee?"  
  
Victor smiled and poured them both a drink. Anna accepted and leaned back. "Yes," he said, "a trainee. There's a young man who I think has great potential. However, due to the fact that we have large classes for training, he didn't get the one on one that I'd like him to have. I was hoping you would provide that."  
  
Anna stared at him for a moment. She hadn't counted on that. "I'd have to see him."  
  
"Of course." He pushed a button on his phone. "Lydia? Send Cavel in please."  
  
Anna wanted to die laughing. He couldn't be serious. A knock rapped on the door.  
  
"Enter!" Victor called.  
  
Both Anna and Victor stood, observing the new comer. Sure enough, it was Sparky, in the flesh.  
  
"Yes sir?" he asked nervously.  
  
"Cavel, this is Miss Hoshimawari Mei. I'm hoping she'll be your mentor, so to speak."  
  
He turned to face her. "How do you do, Ms. Mei?"  
  
She sized him up. Apparently somebody hadn't been happy with certain events -the gundam pilots escape most likely- because he had the faint traces of a fistfight. She stood directly in front of him.  
  
"How old are you?" she asked.  
  
"Sixteen, almost seventeen."  
  
"Any friends, family?"  
  
"One friend, I have no family left." He said quietly.  
  
She glanced at Victor. "Are you good?"  
  
Silence. But, she was used to that from him.  
  
"Answer the lady, Cadet." Victor ordered.  
  
"Not very." He whispered.  
  
"How many missions have you had?" she asked. This didn't sound like the confident boy she'd encountered before.  
  
"Five."  
  
"How many have you failed?"  
  
"Three." She had to strain to hear it.  
  
She closed her eyes. "Potential, eh, General?"  
  
"I think so. The missions he has failed were all gundam pilot related. One gundam pilot in particular." Victor said easily.  
  
"Really? Which one?" she asked demurely.  
  
"The one they call Anna Maxwell. She's a smart one, she is."  
  
Anna bit her lip. "I see. Very well, I will take your offer and conditions, if you agree to one of my own."  
  
Victor sat back down. "Fire away."  
  
"If I take and mentor this... boy... I want him out of OWN. If I take him, I take full responsibility for him and his actions. I don't want him affiliated in any way to OWN or it's proceedings. And I want to be hired directly to you. I want no part of the OWN group. This is simply how to make a living. That is my condition."  
  
Victor nodded slowly. "An absolute yes to you being hired only to me. You will be in no way held responsible for any actions OWN takes as a whole. As for his affiliation, that is up to Cavel. He took the blood pledge, however, if he wishes to be trained under you, I will release him from it."  
  
They looked at him.  
  
"It's your call, Junior." She said softly.  
  
His head shot up and he looked straight at her. The way she said it... But there was no trace of the gundam girl in her. He considered his options for a moment. This was a way out, and a way to get training too. Why not take it? "All right." He murmured.  
  
Anna reached out her hand to General Victor. "It's a deal then."  
  
Chase would never forgiver her for this, Wufei wouldn't -not that she cared what he thought anymore-, Heero never would, and Duo probably wouldn't. What's a girl to do?  
  
"We're going to run out of gas before they do, Chase," Heero muttered as he found his way to the passenger's seat. "How is our gas doing?"  
  
Chase allowed her eyes to wander to the fuel gage. "I don't suppose you've thought of a plan?" she asked as she swerved again.  
  
"Over there."  
  
Chase looked to where her husband was pointing. "That's just an open field! The only thing it would accomplish would be slowing the car down and allowing them to gain speed on us."  
  
"Just drive, Chase, and get out when I tell you."  
  
Chase nearly facefaulted. "NANI?! AND LEAVE MY CAR BEHIND?! DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT TOOK ME TO GET THIS?!"  
  
"Chase, it's the car or us."  
  
The young artist let out a grunt of displeasure at the thought of leaving her car they had deemed the "tomato" behind for OWN to destroy.  
  
"Just let me get some stuff together. I saw a ditch that we can drive over, hop out, and hide in."  
  
"Brilliant plan! Then they can catch us when we're cornered in some ditch IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE!" Chase half yelled sarcastically.  
  
Heero glared slightly as he pulled some bags from the back.  
  
"Get my sketches."  
  
"They'll be extra baggage we don't need."  
  
"Those are my life, Yuy," Chase growled. "If you don't grab them, I will. In the past few days I have lost everything and I will not loose that."  
  
"Then get them and jump. That ditch is coming up," he responded, doing his best to ignore the harsh tones of the woman next to him. So much had changed...  
  
She nodded and grabbed her sketching bag. "Let's go," she said as she jammed the gas so that the car wouldn't slow.  
  
He nodded and they hopped out of the car.  
  
Heero and Chase hit the ground and rolled. "Stay down," Heero ordered as he crept towards the ditch only a few feet away. "But move."  
  
Chase growled something unintelligible, and probably not in English as she followed him.  
  
Heero lay back in the ditch and surveyed what they had managed to salvage. He looked up when he heard the gunshots and the sound of the car's demise as one bullet hit the tank. He looked over to see Chase's stone cold face as she looked on to one of her formally prized possessions.  
  
"I'm sorry, Chase-chan," he offered.  
  
She shrugged. "I got my sketches," she answered with a slight smile. "Now I'm going to avenge my car."  
  
Heero chuckled slightly as the petite woman grinned. "Heaven help them."  
  
Chase nodded as she lay her head gently on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about my outburst back there. It's just... So much has changed. It's hard to keep things in perspective anymore. I mean... You were dead not long ago, in my mind anyway. And now here you are - here we are, sitting like old times, just trying to live to complete the mission and save the world." She giggled slightly. "But it's not like old times. Anna and I have a life here..."  
  
"I know," Heero said. "And after all this is over, I'll find a way to get that life back for you."  
  
Chase blinked, tears forming in her brown eyes.  
  
"With or without me. It... doesn't matter... Whatever makes you happy, Chase-chan."  
  
Chase flung her arms around the man next to her and sobbed openly, letting all the restrained emotions from the past few days go. Heero put his arms around her carefully. "I'm not use to you crying, Chase," he whispered, "but it seems you do it far more here..."  
  
She looked up and smiled. "I never had anything I had to be strong for, so I stopped."  
  
He smiled. "Cry. It's okay."  
  
She nodded and lay her head against his shoulder. "Is this the hotel?"  
  
"For tonight, yes."  
  
She nodded sleepily. "'Kay. G'night, Heero."  
  
"Good night, Chase-chan."  
  
The blond yawned widely. "When this is over," she started.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"We'll finally be together. And nothing can break us apart, right?"  
  
Heero looked away at the starry night. "Right..." he responded, unsure as he said the words.  
  
Chase didn't notice his lack of confidence in the statement. "That's good," she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep. 


	19. Run, Run, Run, Runaway

Chapter Nineteen: Run, Run, Run, Runaway  
  
Quatre stifled a groan as his mind and body slowly woke up. He blinked several times to remember where he was, and why he was there. He turned his head to the side and saw Duo in the next bed, still sleeping soundly even though sunlight was pouring in through the curtains. He attempted to roll to his right, but his ribs sharply protested. Deciding that left would be better he slowly sat up. Quatre again groaned inwardly when he read the clock. It was almost noon. He stretched and stiffly moved towards the window.  
  
Pulling the curtains aside, he made note of the small size of the town. It reminded him of the village he had sought refuge in during the first war. He glanced back at Duo. He felt guilty about a lot of things, but most of all Duo and Heero. They had sacrificed so much before, and they were making a lot of sacrifices now. Quatre pulled his shirt over his head and grabbed his wallet from the dresser.  
  
"Thanks for everything, Duo-kun. I'll take it from here." He whispered. He snagged the keys, and quietly left the room.  
  
In the lobby, he considered stopping for something to eat, but decided against it. The sooner he got to New York, the sooner he could get to work.  
  
Wufei was sitting at the desk under the window in his room on the same floor. Periodically, he would push the curtain aside and check the parking lot. Every time he did it was the same. Both cars were still there. About fifteen minutes after Quatre had left unbeknownst to Wufei; the man posing as Duo awoke to find his mission gone. He looked around the room quickly and checked the bathroom. No one was there except him.  
  
"Shimatta." He muttered. He grabbed his shirt, pulled it on and dashed outside the room. He noticed the car keys were gone. He looked up and down the hall. It was empty. "Crap!" he exclaimed, slamming a fist into the wall.  
  
Wufei frowned at the noise coming from the hall and stuck his head out the door. He quickly leaned in as Duo rushed down the hall towards the elevator.  
  
"What in the world?" he muttered. He went back to the window. Anna's car was gone. "Quatre's gone!" Wufei tapped his fingers on the windowsill for a moment before crossing the room to the phone. "Yes, I'd like to check out by phone." He waited until the transaction was complete, then slipped out to the car. Wufei pulled out the second cell and hit redial.  
  
The ringing of the phone in the middle of nowhere nearly gave Heero a heart attack. He jumped awake, violently ripped the phone from the bag, and flipped it open. He just sat there breathing for a minute to control his heart rate.  
  
"Heero?" Wufei asked.  
  
Heero sucked in a deep breath and looked down at Chase. She hadn't stirred. "Yeah."  
  
"Did I wake you?" Wufei asked, sounding surprised.  
  
"Sort of. We had a rough encounter." Heero answered.  
  
"How rough? Are you guys okay?"  
  
"Chase and I are fine. In a ditch, but we're okay. They blew up the uh...tomato."  
  
Wufei was really confused now. "They blew up a tomato?"  
  
"Chase's car." Heero clarified.  
  
"I see. We've got a problem." Wufei said.  
  
"Tell me something I don't know."  
  
"Quatre's gone."  
  
"That I didn't know." Heero said dryly. "What do you mean gone?"  
  
Wufei sighed. "Quatre took Anna's car and took off. Duo's still at the hotel, he doesn't have any way to get anywhere. There isn't an airport or car rental place in this city. He'll have to call a cab from Columbus."  
  
"He'll go to New York." Heero said.  
  
"Quatre or Duo?"  
  
"Both, eventually. Quatre will just get there faster. How did Duo react?" Heero asked.  
  
"I don't know what his immediate reaction was, but he didn't look happy. He slammed his fist into the hall wall and then was off like a shot to the elevator." Wufei replied.  
  
Heero frowned. "That doesn't sound right."  
  
"A lot about all of this doesn't sound right. This whole war is a screw-up if you ask me. No body knows who's fighting for who." Wufei growled.  
  
"There's nothing we can do about that now. Follow Quatre. Make sure Trowa doesn't get his hands on him." Heero said.  
  
"What about Duo?" Wufei asked, sliding the key into the ignition.  
  
Heero sighed; then he inhaled deeply. This wasn't going to be fun. "As of now, we can't be sure where his loyalties lie. If he is a traitor, he'll show up in New York. If he's not, he may go there anyway. By that time we'll be able to tell for sure."  
  
"I'm sorry, Heero." Wufei said, meaning it.  
  
"Not as sorry as I am." Heero murmured.  
  
Wufei shut the phone and turned the key. "Start spreading the news, I'm leaving today, got to be a part of it, New York New York." He sang under his breath.  
  
Duo sat in the hotel lobby with his arms crossed, waiting for the cab. The comm. in his collar buzzed to life.  
  
"Duo?" Avis' voice crackled over the line.  
  
"What, Avis?" he snapped.  
  
"You were due to report half an hour ago." Avis said mildly.  
  
"I was supposed to report when I had information." Duo responded.  
  
"And I've been ordered to gather information. Report." Avis demanded.  
  
"All right, all right. You want a report, and then I'll give you a report. He's gone, vamoosed, and I'm stuck outside of Columbus, Ohio. Happy?"  
  
"Not very. And Commander Barton isn't going to be happy about this either." Avis said.  
  
"There was nothing I could do about it. I didn't expect him to take off without me." The Duo double muttered.  
  
"You had better find him, or Barton will have your head." Avis warned.  
  
"Listen, Avis, you people are paying me a good deal of money for this and I plan on getting my dues. Just keep your shirt on, keep Barton's brass shined, and I'll get what needs to be done completed. Okay?" Duo snarled.  
  
"Understood. Report when you have information." Avis signed out of the frequency.  
  
"Information. Ha." Duo said. The cab pulled up in front of the hotel.  
  
Jack Avis spun around in his chair to face Trowa. "He's lost him."  
  
Trowa rolled his eyes. "I'm not surprised. I didn't have a lot of confidence in him when Victor hired him. And I probably won't have any confidence in the sniper he hires."  
  
"It is just part of his game, Trowa. I've never seen a military man so infatuated with playing games." Avis said.  
  
Trowa shrugged. "I know. And I don't like it. No one ever knows what he's thinking. He's unstable."  
  
"What are you going to do now?" Avis asked.  
  
"I know Quatre. He'll go to New York, his headquarters, and try to find Dorothy and contact me. We'll wait for him. He'll come to us." Trowa responded quietly.  
  
"What about the Yuys?"  
  
Trowa frowned. "I'm not sure. For being out of the business so long, they're avoiding me very well."  
  
Jack leaned forward. "Trowa, let me take a team. I can pick out the four best -I all ready have them in mind- and we'll personally go out there and bring them back." He said eagerly.  
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
"Why not? We aren't getting results anyway. If I succeed, you'll have what you want. If I fail? Well, we aren't any worse off!" Avis exclaimed.  
  
"Jack, if you fail, Heero Yuy will kill you and your team. I need you alive, you're the only person I can trust." Trowa murmured.  
  
The younger man smirked. "You need me, eh? Let me tell you, you need the Yuys more. If you don't get them, Victor will demote you. Besides, Heero Yuy hasn't killed any members of the other teams."  
  
"They haven't gotten close enough." Trowa said dryly.  
  
"Come on, Trowa, let me try. If it gets too hairy we'll pull out. Nothing gained, maybe, but we'll never know if we don't try." Avis pleaded.  
  
Trowa sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "All right, we'll try it your way, Jack. Gather your team and meet me in the field at eleven tonight."  
  
"Great! You won't be disappointed, Commander." Avis said, slipping back into duty roll.  
  
"I hope not, Lieutenant. I hope not."  
  
Chase stirred slightly and mumbled something into Heero's shoulder. Her brown eyes fluttered open and she looked up. "G'morning," she said with a smile. "Sleep well?"  
  
"Restless."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"Not your fault."  
  
She shrugged slightly. "Where to now?"  
  
"New York, like originally planned."  
  
"And how, might I ask? My car is gone."  
  
Heero sighed slightly. "We'll walk for a while, considering we can't really do much else. Then we'll get to the nearest airport."  
  
"How current are you?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"In a single engine, more than likely. I doubt we'd be able to find a double engine airplane at this time of year."  
  
"I'm not current at all in single engines. I'm not even sure I would know how to fly the planes of your time."  
  
"I do, and my flying license is under 'Elise Thate.'"  
  
"That might work. It WOULD be better to stay out of direct contact of people."  
  
Chase nodded in agreement. "Yes. That was my thought."  
  
"Then let's get going."  
  
"I know the perfect place," Chase said with a smirk. 


	20. Forgive Us, Lord, For the Tricks Up Our ...

Chapter Twenty: Forgive us, Lord, for the Tricks up our Sleeves   
  
*This is a quote from Saint Tails  
  
Chase and Heero walked into the small airport hungry, tired, and dirty. The man at the front desk (and quite possibly the only man there) looked up. He smiled warmly.  
  
He asked something in a language foreign to Heero's ears. Chase seemed to respond with ease as she smiled back. She continued to rattle on. All the Japanese man could pick up on were a few words scattered hear and there he had heard Odin Lowe use, but that had been years ago, and his former mentor had never taken time to explain or even tell what language it was.  
  
Chase appeared to be discussing frivolous matters with the man. She still used her hands to explain, and that's the only clues Heero received. Finally, the young artist took on a more serious demeanor and ceased her chatter. She continued talking, in hushed tones now. The old man's eyes darted from one area to another as they continued. He looked suspicious of something. When Chase finished, he smiled.  
  
He said something, almost as if finalizing. "As always," he said in broken English, "It is good to do business with you, Miss Thate."  
  
She bowed slightly. "And you, Dimitri." Chase turned to Heero and motioned for him to walk with her.  
  
"What was all that?"  
  
"Russian. When I came back, I did not forget anything I had known. Many languages have faded into the back of my mind and have become rusty, but Russian has always been useful. Especially in America, where few people speak the language."  
  
Heero smiled slightly. "What did you say to him?"  
  
"Simply that we needed a place to stay for the night, a plane - double engine preferable - and food, and if he could provide, his salary would be dealt with as usual."  
  
"How do you know him?"  
  
"Long story, boyo," Chase said. "He's... not your average pilot. Let's just say I haven't lost all of my skills. When I want to get away from everything, I do. Anna doesn't even know how I do it. She's become slightly accustom to my disappearing acts."  
  
"He won't ask questions?"  
  
"He's got more to cover up than we do, Heero."  
  
His dark eyes widened slightly. "That's a lot."  
  
"A little bit here and there adds up quickly if you're not careful, but then again, some people are falsely accused."  
  
He nodded. "So where do we stay for the night?"  
  
Chase grimaced slightly. "You see that little house over there?"  
  
Heero glanced. "I've seen worse."  
  
"Seen better too, but it'll have to do."  
  
"Beggars can't be choosers."  
  
"And there's running water. That's an improvement from last time. We'll also have a place to hook the computers up. I'm sure 'Dimitri' will have a nice little arsenal somewhere that he could lend us."  
  
"The friends you have, Chase," Heero muttered as he started for the house.  
  
"Yes, the friends I have. Where would we be without them?"  
  
"Still wandering."  
  
A soft knock came at the door and Chase padded to it. She opened it up to see Dimitri.  
  
"What can I do for you, Dimitri?" she asked in Russian.  
  
"I just wanted to check on you, Miss Thate. Who is the man, if you don't mind my asking."  
  
"My husband."  
  
He grinned. "You don't need to pay this time, Miss Thate. My business picked up. I think it's almost become respectable, now that my name is clear."  
  
"I am a paying customer, Dimitri."  
  
"You cleared my name. I owe you what you ask."  
  
"I can't swear the plane will come back in one piece."  
  
"I understand that. I knew when you came that you weren't here for pleasure. That is Heero, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Dimitri smiled. "I'm happy you two found each other." He sighed heavily. "Don't tell him."  
  
"I won't."  
  
"I was almost worried when he walked in, that he'd recognize me."  
  
"He didn't, I can assure you. He was so young. Why don't you come in and say 'hello'? For old times sake, ne?"  
  
Dimitri shook his head. "No, Mrs. Yuy, I'm afraid I can't. It's been too long since I've seen that kid."  
  
Chase nodded. "I can't tell you much, but I can tell you that a war is in the process, and I'll need someone to help us."  
  
"What do you need, Chase?"  
  
"Weapons. I know you have them. A former assassin would. And information."  
  
Dimitri cocked an eyebrow. "Weapons I have. Information is hard to come by in this world."  
  
"I know you, Mr. Lowe. You can pull most anything off."  
  
Dimitri nodded. "You're right. What do you need?"  
  
"OWN."  
  
"Done. I'll have for you what I can by morning."  
  
"Don't stay up too late," Chase said with a smirk as he turned to leave.  
  
"Oh, and Miss Thate?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"You're husband is waiting for you."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Keep him safe." That said, the old man headed out.  
  
"What was that?" Heero asked as he pulled her close.  
  
"He's got weapons... and information. We'll leave in the morning."  
  
"Why did you ask for the apartment above the one General Victor picked out for you?" Cavel asked.  
  
Anna set her bag down inside the door and flicked the lights on. "I do my own shopping. Besides that, there's the small fact I don't trust him. Fully furnished, this is nice."  
  
"You don't trust the man who hired you?" he asked, sounding surprised.  
  
"Kid, I don't trust a lot of people."  
  
"Do you trust me?"  
  
"Not yet. We'll work on that. You have to prove to me you're trustworthy."  
  
"How do I do that?"  
  
"Today we have mission." Anna said, glancing around for any obvious cameras or bugs.  
  
"From Victor?"  
  
"Nope, from me."  
  
"You give yourself missions."  
  
"Not usually, but this needs to be done." She said, appearing satisfied that they had privacy. It was a nice small apartment, only having a living room, a kitchen, one bathroom, and two bedrooms. It was small, but still roomy enough not to feel crowded.  
  
He waited for a further explanation, but none was forthcoming. "So what are we doing?" he asked. It felt strange for him to be asking questions. He'd been taking commands for so long, it was different being his own person again.  
  
"'We' won't be doing anything. I'll be breaking one of Victor's prisoners loose, and you'll be watching. You can supply information, too." Anna replied.  
  
He stared at her as she moved around the living room and kitchen, further checking for cameras and bugs. "Let me get this straight. You walk in to Victor's office, get yourself hired, and plan to break one of his prisoner's out."  
  
She looked over at him and grinned. "You got it, Sherlock."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I want to know what kind of security he's got. I owe it to the person who has been captured. I haven't done anything like this in a while and I need to get in tune. Satisfied?" Anna answered.  
  
"I guess. You have a strange way of thinking."  
  
"Thank you. It's not the first time I've been told as much."  
  
"So we go tonight." He concluded.  
  
"Right. As soon as I change into something more...thief-like. Do you have an all black outfit?" Anna asked.  
  
"Yes ma'am." He responded.  
  
"Good. Pick a bedroom and change. And drop the ma'am, call me Mei."  
  
"All right, Mei." He picked the bedroom closest to the front door and went to change.  
  
Anna shook her head. "What have I gotten myself into? So much for me being the thinker." She muttered. She changed into her all black outfit in the bathroom and grabbed her small backpack. It held everything she could ever need for almost any situation. Bombs, security, capture, weapons, electric fences, and locks, bigger bombs...it was the ultimate be-prepared pack. And tonight, she was going to use it to rescue Meg Collins.  
  
Cavel was still in his chosen room when the telephone rang. She instantly reached for her cell in the bag, and frowned when it wasn't there. That's when she realized it was the phone in the apartment.  
  
"Hello?" she greeted, digging further into her bag. She knew it was in there somewhere.  
  
"Miss Hoshimawari?" a female voice asked.  
  
"This is she." Anna mumbled, still looking for the phone.  
  
"This is Lydia, General Victor's secretary." She said, sounding nervous.  
  
Anna sat up and paid attention. "What can I do for you?"  
  
"General Victor would like for you to join him for dinner this evening." She said.  
  
Anna nearly fell off the couch. No way was she doing the romance-the-villain trick. She composed herself. "Tell him thank you but no thank you. Tonight isn't good for me. Perhaps another time. Oh, and Lydia, tell him I said that if he wants me for dinner, ask me himself." She hung up the phone. "The nerve..."  
  
Cavel came out of his room, clad in black sneakers, black baggy jeans with at least twelve pockets, and a black turtleneck. "Will this work?" he asked.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "That great, Kid. Fabulous. Do you have any weapons or tools?"  
  
He dug around in his pockets and presented a pick lock kit, a bomb defusing kit, and a Glok. "That's it." He said.  
  
"I'm sure it will do." Anna said wryly. It was almost more that she and Chase had started out with, with the exception of the gundams. The phone rang again.  
  
"Yes?" she answered.  
  
"Miss Hoshimawari?" It was Lydia again.  
  
"Yes, Lydia?" Anna asked patiently.  
  
"Um, I have another request from General Victor."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"General Victor would like you to meet his head trainer tomorrow morning. Would that be satisfactory?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, that's fine. Meet him where?" Anna sighed.  
  
"He'll drop by your apartment." Lydia said.  
  
"Fine. Thank you."  
  
"Goodbye." Lydia said.  
  
Anna hung up again and checked her watch. It was nearing one a.m. "Let's hit the road."  
  
"Who was that?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Lydia. Victor's secretary. I'm supposed to meet his head trainer tomorrow morning. You will too, by the way."  
  
"Head trainer?"  
  
"That's right, Tiger." Anna confirmed.  
  
"I already know him. Commander Barton."  
  
That got her interest. "Oh, really? Well, we'll have to get this done lickety split then, won't we? We want to well prepared for the Commander."  
  
She shut off the light and shut the door behind them. "Well prepared indeed."  
  
Jack Avis switched his heat radar on with a sense of excitement. It taken him exactly one day to get an exact location on the Yuys. He had been half-afraid he was going to let Trowa down, but in the end he had triumphed. He and his four men had the small airport surrounded. His machine beeped softly announcing its results. He leaned into his comm.  
  
"All right. I have a reading. There are only three people in the area. There's one person in the airport building itself. There are two people in the house across the street." He said.  
  
"The two in the house are the Yuys?" a man named Jerry asked.  
  
"More than likely. Remember, split them up. Even if we only detain one, it's a successful mission. We cannot fail." Jack answered.  
  
"We're ready, Lieutenant." Dana reported.  
  
"Go." Avis commanded.  
  
Dana and Jerry walked up to the airport and went inside. Jack and his other two men waited by the house. As planned, a few minutes later a huge crash sounded from the airport. Shouting and banging soon followed.  
  
"All right, you two with me. We have all exits to the house covered?" Jack asked.  
  
"Yes, Sir!" came the reply.  
  
"Excellent. Remember, even if we only get one. They should come out to see what the noise is from their friend in a moment." Jack replied.  
  
Chase stirred in her sleep. She awoke, and listened to the noises in the house, and then outside. Maybe she hadn't heard anything. Then she heard it again, a distinct shout. It was coming from the airport...  
  
"Heero! Wake up!" she jolted up and reached for her gun.  
  
Chase sprinted for the house. It was surrounded. Growling, she let a shot ring through the still night air.  
  
"What's going on?" Heero demanded.  
  
"Dimitri's in trouble. OWN."  
  
"Great. Just what we needed."  
  
"Go to the hanger and start up the plane. He might be coming with us, so make sure that we have enough room."  
  
"And the ammunition?"  
  
"Forget it. Our lives are more important." She glanced around. "And knowing Odin, there WILL be guns available," she muttered as she sprinted off toward the airport.  
  
Heero looked at the small, two engine Baron that sat in the hanger. He glared at it. "She expects me to start that thing?"  
  
He looked off to the side to see several machine guns lying in a heap in the corner. A smirk crossed his lips. "Dimitri came through after all."  
  
Chase took out yet another officer with a foot in the face. "They just keep coming," she mumbled.  
  
Suddenly she felt something cold against her back. "Don't move, Mrs. Yuy."  
  
Chase stiffened. "Of course not."  
  
Avis smirked. "One Yuy down, one to go."  
  
Suddenly he felt a hard impact on the back of his head and he fell to the ground.  
  
Chase turned quickly. "Odin!" she gasped.  
  
"Come on. He'll come 'round soon enough."  
  
She nodded and they sprinted towards the exit. "You know they'll be more outside!" Chase said.  
  
When they did exit, they saw the group of soldiers scurrying about and yelling. They looked at each other, then looked at the soldiers. "What in space...?"  
  
The Baron came down for a low pass and she saw Heero trying to maintain a decent altitude. Chase smirked. "Land it, ya moron! Before you kill everyone."  
  
"And in one piece, kid," Dimitri begged quietly.  
  
The Baron came down to a rough landing. (Though "landing" may not be the correct word...) Chase climbed in and shoved Heero into the co-pilot's seat. Dimitri climbed in the back and started preparing the weapons.  
  
"Don't take offense if I'm frank with ya, boyo, but I NEVER want to be anywhere near you if you ever try to fly a Baron again!"  
  
Heero smirked slightly as he looked back to the old man and weapons. "What do we have back there?"  
  
"Plenty of weapons."  
  
"My sketch pad!" Chase nearly screeched. "We left my art work!"  
  
"Forget it, Chase, just keep flying," Heero said roughly.  
  
Chase glared slightly, but accepted orders.  
  
Avis growled slightly. They'd failed yet again. A young man walked up to him and held out a book of some sort. "Is this any help, sir?"  
  
Avis looked at it. "A sketch pad?"  
  
"I suppose so, sir."  
  
Avis smirked. "Let's see if we can link Mrs. Yuy/Russell with whoever signed these pictures."  
  
(A/N: Okay, the deal with this here is that Chase uses the alias Elise Thate to sell her mangas in Japan and her books in America, but not many people know that Jen Estes and Elise Thate are one in the same. ^_^) 


	21. You've Been Hit By, You've Been Struck B...

Chapter Twenty-one: You've Been Hit By, You've Been Struck By, A Smooth Criminal  
  
"You trouble yourself to much, my friend." Trowa said softly.  
  
Jack Avis was drumming his fingers on his desk, looking rather annoyed. "I was close! Confound it! I was so close and I failed."  
  
Trowa glanced around, and seeing no one else took a seat. "Listen, Jack, I didn't expect you to get either one of them. In all honesty I didn't expect you to come back alive. You're lucky all you got was a concussion."  
  
Jack glared at his superior. "So why did you send me?"  
  
"Because you wanted the chance. You deserved the chance. I fought Heero Yuy once, a long time ago, and lost. He's fierce, and he married a fierce woman." Trowa replied.  
  
Avis's glare lessened slightly and he plopped a folder in front of Trowa. "We found this where they were. They got away without it."  
  
Trowa picked it up. "Sketches?"  
  
"Yes. Not just the sketches, but the signature. I figured that there might be a way to connect Chase Yuy with her past counterpart."  
  
"Elise Thate." Trowa murmured.  
  
"Know her?" Jack asked.  
  
"I've heard the name before."  
  
"I'm sure. There's a drawing at the bottom of the stack that's frighteningly familiar." Jack said.  
  
Trowa glanced up at him, before pulling the last drawing out from the pile. He stiffened. "It's..."  
  
"The seven gundam pilots. And there's one sketch in there of just the five male pilots, and one just of you."  
  
Trowa stared at him. "You know what this means."  
  
"Of course I do. But nobody in her time knows that. It won't prove a thing there." Jack agreed.  
  
Trowa tapped the folder against his palm. "Who says we have to prove it? I want you to go back. Seize Elise Thate's assets, her studios, everything. Shut it down."  
  
Jack Avis shook his head. "No."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"I said, no, Trowa. My mission isn't over yet."  
  
"That's an order, Lieutenant."  
  
Jack grinned at him. "Oh, really? You have to keep your rank in OWN. To do that you have to keep Victor and company happy. To keep them happy you have to deliver the Yuys sometime soon. I can do that."  
  
"You tried, Jack. It's over." Trowa said.  
  
"No. They're going to New York. They're going to try to protect Quatre Winner. From what I've heard you're closer to him than you are to me. I can get them there."  
  
"It doesn't matter who I'm close to anymore. My life as I knew it was over the second I agreed to join OWN. There's a bigger picture, Jack."  
  
"Trowa, if this Maxwell double gets to New York first, he'll take Quatre. And if he finds the Yuys there or they get in his way, he'll kill them. He knows they suspect him; he's got nothing to loose. I'm going to New York, Trowa. I won't stop until I have them. You want Chase Yuy alive or not?"  
  
Trowa glared at him sharply. The last was a low blow and they both knew it. "Fine, Jack. Go to New York and do your best. But don't expect me to be your cavalry."  
  
The younger man looked a little hurt by the comment. He took the folder and headed out. At the door he stopped and turned back. "I guess you don't need me alive that bad after all."  
  
Trowa considered stopping him, but did not. Five minutes later, alarms went off in the compound.  
  
Anna flattened herself against the wall in the shadows. Rolling her eyes, she reached back around the corner and yanked Cavel to stand next to her.  
  
"They know we're here." He whispered.  
  
"I noticed." Anna whispered back. "What level is the first level of holding cells?"  
  
"Level Six, below ground." He answered.  
  
"How many underground levels are there?"  
  
"Ten."  
  
"I'm assuming the lower the level the higher the security level?" Anna asked.  
  
"Yes." Cavel whispered. "A long time ago it was used as a bomb shelter."  
  
"Considering what happened to the house Marimeia used as a fortress, I'd say it probably doesn't work very well." Anna muttered.  
  
He looked confused. "What house?"  
  
"The house that Heero Yuy destroyed. Never mind. The service elevators should be this way."  
  
Cavel hit the elevator button as Anna surveyed the hall. She looked at him.  
  
"Why hasn't anybody hit this floor yet? We're on level four below ground." Anna whispered.  
  
Cavel shrugged. "It's possible everyone went to level five, or that there's a high stake mission going on, or it's a all personnel training night. Sometimes no one's here."  
  
"Variables you might have mentioned earlier, slick." Anna said.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
The elevator opened and she shoved him in. "Go directly to level six. Talk your way out of anyone you run into, and shoot anyone who doesn't listen. I'll meet you down there."  
  
"Hey! Wha-" he exclaimed. He was cut short as the doors slid shut.  
  
She ran back to the base computer near the end of the hall. She quickly hacked into the prisoner levels list and started through beginning at level six. Halfway down the list she found what she was looking for: Meg Collins. Anna ran back to the elevator and forced the doors open. She said silent thanks for the invention of leather gloves as she slid down the cable.  
  
When her feet hit the top of the car, she listened for any sound of struggles going on. She heard none, and pried the elevator roof open. She found Cavel leaning on the door, keeping it open.  
  
"It's about time." He said calmly. On the floor near where he stood were two bodies of OWN soldiers.  
  
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Tiger."  
  
"Don't be. I was just doing my job." He replied.  
  
"Come on, then. What we're looking for is just down the hall. We need to hurry, because security will be swarming soon. They really need to amp it up." She said.  
  
"I'll take the left, you take the right." He said, and they scurried down the corridor. A second later he called to her. "I found her, I think."  
  
Anna came back to him and looked in the window. Sure enough, asleep on the cot was Meg. "How did you know it was her?"  
  
"The preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America is scratched onto the wall." He replied.  
  
Again he was right. "I'm impressed, Slick. Very impressed."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Meg! Meg, wake up! Ms. Collins." She called.  
  
"They might have her sedated." Cavel murmured.  
  
"I wouldn't be surprised." Anna said dryly. "Here, hold this." She handed him a black plastic case. He held it in his palm as she opened it and took out a hook looking device.  
  
"I bought us a little time by putting out the elevators." Cavel said.  
  
She nodded, too involved with her work to respond in any other manner. She yelped, as the lock sparked and set electricity into the air. "Did you know about that?" she cried angrily.  
  
Cavel shook his head. "No! I thought those were only on level eight and down."  
  
"Beautiful." She growled. She put the case away. "Step back." He did so. She drew out her magnum and put a hole in the door. "Standard never fails. Don't forget that." She said.  
  
His mouth was slightly agape as she kicked the door in. "Sure." He said.  
  
Anna knelt by the sleeping pathologist and shook her gently. "Ms. Collins, wake up."  
  
Meg stirred and grumbled something about five minutes.  
  
"Not now, you twit. This isn't college, Meg. Wake up!" Anna snapped. They were running low on time.  
  
The grumpy doctor slowly came to. "Who the blazes are you?"  
  
Anna grinned. "You don't know me. We have a mutual friend."  
  
"Who?  
  
"A Doctor Russell."  
  
"Oh. Is she here too?" Meg asked sleepily.  
  
"No, she's not. But she needs you to do a couple of things for her, okay?"  
  
"Okay. I owe her anyway. What did you say your name was?" Meg stated.  
  
Anna shook her as Meg's head started to droop. "You wouldn't understand it if I told you. Meg, this is important. Are you paying attention? Doctor Collins?"  
  
Her head snapped up. "I'm here."  
  
"Okay. I'm going to send you back to Chicago, okay? Once you're there, I need you to go to Doctor Estes's home. If it's still being watched, go home. If nobody is at her house, I need you to write that down and leave the note on your desk at the hospital. You got that?"  
  
Meg nodded. "Going back to Chicago. Go to Gabi's house. If it's occupied, sleep. If it's not, say so in a note, leave it on my desk at work. You didn't tell me your name."  
  
"Very good, Doctor Collins. My name is Hoshimawari Mei. If you leave a note, afterwards go home. Sleep. She'll owe you after all this." Anna said.  
  
Meg was actually coherent. "That would be a miracle. I owed her for study sheets through most of college."  
  
"Hmm. I bet she lost a lot of sleep for it too. Are you awake enough to go back, now?"  
  
"Yes. I'm ready to ditch this place. Are you sure she's okay?"  
  
"She's just fine. Hold on to your hat." Anna brought the laptop out of her bag and set up the program. "Don't forget." She hit the location and send button. Meg Collins disappeared.  
  
"I only thought Commander Barton had that technology." Cavel said quietly.  
  
Anna nearly jumped a mile and a half. "Jeez, Kid, I almost forgot you were here."  
  
"They're coming, I think."  
  
"Let's rock and roll, then. We don't know what time Mr. Barton will be dropping in on us this morning."  
  
Chase brought the plane down for a landing when they reached Pennsylvania. "I'd go farther but we're running low on fuel," she explained to her half-asleep passengers.  
  
"You DO have a way of getting the weapons through all this I hope," Hero muttered.  
  
"I'll find a way."  
  
"That's not encouraging, Elise," Dimitri said in perfect English.  
  
Heero glanced at him from the corner of his eye. He muttered something in Japanese.  
  
"No, Heero, I do know English, as I know many other languages. I am a resourceful man."  
  
Glare.  
  
Somehow (though I can't say how because I don't know) Chase managed to get the fuel without much notice. She crawled back up into the plane to find Dimitri sitting in the pilot's seat. "Sit in the back."  
  
She glared when she noticed that Heero had taken Dimitri's place as the co pilot. "Why do I get put in the back?"  
  
"Because there are men around looking for an 'Elise Thate,'" Dimitri responded. "Men in OWN uniforms. Sit in the back and keep your head down."  
  
Chase did as she was told. "How do you think they found out?"  
  
"Your sketches," Heero responded. "When you left them. That's the only way."  
  
Chase growled low in her throat. "Blast it," she muttered. "Go, Dimitri. We need to get to New York now." She paused. "And I need you to send a message to Quatre, any way you see fit."  
  
"Will do," Heero responded as he pulled his laptop out.  
  
"Send it encrypted to Luck inc. computers. Quatre's personal one. 'QRW@luck.org', then write the following: 'Sorry my friend's secretary lost my sketches that you had said you were going to publish. Can you believe it? Sometimes I wonder why we pay these people-'"  
  
Heero smirked.  
  
"'- Anyway, Emerarudo Yoake will be a little late in the publishing stages. I'm dreadfully sorry, old friend. I guess that means that our meetings shall take place in other locations on a different time. I'm going home for a time, and I wish for you to join me.'  
  
"Home: Japan."  
  
"Really?" Dimitri asked. "Won't they catch on?"  
  
"No. Home might be Chicago for them, simply because that is my base of operations. Japan shall always be home."  
  
Heero nodded, seemingly understanding. "Let's go."  
  
Quatre walked into the old warehouse where Chase had kept one of her many art studios. She had told them before they left that she would meet him there, or send word otherwise. No word had come yet.  
  
"Perhaps she has not arrived," he said quietly to himself as he walked through the doors.  
  
The sight astounded him. Tables overturned. Artwork scattered and lamps smashed. Televisions, radios, and CD players were broken and ripped apart. The wall scrolls that had hung on the walls had been put through shredders and now lay in piles on the floor, along with the extra paper she had. Pencils, of all kinds, lay broken into many pieces around the room. Erasers were broken and scattered. Japanese tools were found in various places, carelessly thrown around, unlike Chase would ever treat her prized material.  
  
Quatre's breath caught. "Hoshi..."  
  
After the initial shock, thoughts flooded into his mind. What if she had been waiting for him? What if OWN had come and seized her while she was unaware they even knew who "Elise Thate" was?  
  
Quatre walked to the small portion of the studio that was used for supplies when Chase came here to work. The pantry was empty, cobwebs the only occupants. The fridge was not functioning and it had not been for a long time.  
  
"Good. She wasn't here."  
  
Quatre jumped, heart pounding as his computer beeped from inside his bag. He opened it up and read Chase's message. He wrote: I await your arrival. 


	22. The Lunatics Have Taken Charge of the As...

Chapter Twenty-two: The Lunatics Have Taken Charge of the Asylum*  
  
Cavel paced nervously around the living room. Anna watched him while leaning against a pillar in the kitchen. He looked up at her, started to say something, but changed his mind. He sat and took a sip of his cold coffee. Swallowing carefully, he made a face and put the mug back down.  
  
"What's on your mind, Tiger?" she asked casually. She pulled the gun from her side holster to check the bullet count.  
  
"He's coming, isn't he?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Commander Barton? Yes, he is. Sometime this morning." She replied.  
  
"That's what. I gave up my rank in OWN. He isn't going to be happy."  
  
"You aren't a part of OWN, anymore. He doesn't have to be happy. In fact, I believe he's a rather miserable man." Anna stated.  
  
"Why's that?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Because he was a gundam pilot for what, half a decade? More? And dedicated to the freedom of the world and the colonies. But he's got to be perfectly miserable to be caught up with the likes of OWN." Anna answered.  
  
"You don't think OWN will succeed?"  
  
"Of course not. Nobody who's ever tried for world domination has won. Alexander the Great, Napoleon, the whole Roman empire, later the British empire; granted they did it fairly and not with an iron fist, Germany in World War One, Hitler, Mussolini, Russia, Bin Laden, Treize, the White Fang, Marimeia, tons of others, and OWN. All of them failed. The human spirit for freedom is just too great. No one, and I mean no one, can subdue it permanently. That's why the gundams were finally considered the greatest allies. They meant freedom. Granted, if the pilots had been raised by the faction, Treize might be ruling the Earth and the colonies right now." Anna said.  
  
"I guess. But no one's ever tried by time travel, either." Cavel said.  
  
"It doesn't matter. People loved freedom then, they love it now, and they'll love it in a billion years. I guarantee it. You could get some sleep, you know. He might not be here until almost noon."  
  
Cavel shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. I'm used to it because of night training."  
  
Anna nodded her acquiesce and checked other parts of her magnum. The younger man forced down another gulp of the cold coffee. The doorbell rang. Cavel looked at Anna. She nodded at him, slipped the safety off her gun, and hid behind the pillar.  
  
Slowly, Cavel stood up and went to answer the door. He took a deep breath and undid the chain. There was a soft click behind him. Anna was ready. He pulled the door open.  
  
"Commander Barton." He said, his voice coming out barely above a whisper.  
  
Trowa glared at him for a moment. "Is she here?"  
  
Cavel ushered him into the apartment and shut the door behind him. "Yes, she's here. It's him, Mei."  
  
Anna stepped out from her shadow and returned the gun to its holster. "Ah, yes. The infamous Mr. Barton." She murmured with a hint of malice. She masked her tone to sound semi polite. "Do have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"  
  
Trowa sat on the couch, never taking his eyes off of her. "No, thank you. Do I know you?"  
  
"My name is Hoshimawari Mei. And no, we've never met before."  
  
"Commander Trowa Barton. My apologies."  
  
"Don't be silly. I have a familiar face, I suppose. Cavel, be a doll and check the downloads." He nodded and left the room. "What can I do for you, Mr. Barton?" she asked, taking a seat across from him.  
  
His gaze moved up and down and then across the room, memorizing and cataloging important details. His eyes returned to her. "Are you married, Ms. Hoshimawari?"  
  
Anna looked down at her hands. She swiveled the gold band around to show the gem on the other side. "Call me Mei. And no, not anymore."  
  
He smiled a small, sardonic grin. "Loved to many men?"  
  
Anna smiled thinly. "Mr. Barton, whatever happened in your life, I ask you not to take it out on me. And to answer your question, I've loved three men in my life. One was elementary, and inconsequential. It was puppy love. The second man I loved I married, and the third man I loved I sometimes wish I had."  
  
He bent his head quickly and lifted it again. "Again, my apologies. Stress often makes me impulsive."  
  
"Understood. I have often faced that problem myself. What about you, Mr. Barton? How many women have you loved?"  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "Two. The first betrayed me, as did the second, although she had different circumstances."  
  
"Forgive me for being presumptuous, but it sounds as if you still love the second woman." Anna said.  
  
"If you also forgive me presumptuousness by saying it sounds as if you still love man number two, and man number three." Trowa replied evenly.  
  
"Well said. But I'm sure you didn't come here at seven in the morning to discuss past romances." Anna said.  
  
"No, I did not. You are not working directly for OWN."  
  
"No, Mr. Barton, I am not. I work for Victor."  
  
"I see. Why did you take Cavel?"  
  
"Victor wanted him to be trained more extensively. I agreed, on the condition he could leave OWN. Victor approved. I don't want people I defuse bombs with to have double standards, Mr. Barton."  
  
"Of course not. How long do you plan on working for Victor?"  
  
Anna smiled darkly. "Until I get what I want, Mr. Barton."  
  
"Oh? What is it that you want, Mei?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Himegoto, Mr. Barton, himegoto." Anna grinned.  
  
"Very well, Mei. What has Victor hired you for?"  
  
"I don't have any idea. We haven't gotten that far in our contract."  
  
"Did you have anything to do with the disappearance of one of our prisoners last night?" Trowa asked.  
  
"Of course not. Why would I work for Victor and then set his prisoners loose?"  
  
"Just checking. I believe that's all, Ms. Mei."  
  
"Fine, fine. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around."  
  
Trowa stood to leave. "Possibly. I'm a busy man."  
  
"As I am a busy woman. But I have a feeling we'll be busy in the same circles. I may even rival for your position if the fancy strikes me." Anna retorted.  
  
He glanced at her sharply. "Why would you think that?"  
  
She smiled coyly. "Why, Mr. Barton, it never occurred to you? Why would Victor hire a professional assassin when he's already got one under his thumb? Perhaps you are slacking in your skill."  
  
"Or perhaps he needed somebody expendable." Trowa countered.  
  
"Let us hope that neither one of us is expendable, Mr. Barton. It would cause problems for many people in the end. How loyal are you really to him? How far would you really go?"  
  
"I will go as far as I need to for the greater good." Trowa said stiffly. "One final question and I will be on my way. Where is your husband now, Ms. Mei? You said you were not currently married."  
  
"My husband is dead, Mr. Barton." Anna said.  
  
"My condolences."  
  
Anna shrugged. "Thank you, but it was several years ago. Life does go on, I'm afraid."  
  
"Might I ask how he passed away?"  
  
"He was murdered." Anna said evenly.  
  
"I understand. A friend of mine had her husband killed as well."  
  
"My condolences to her, then." Anna said softly.  
  
"I'm afraid I haven't seen her in many years. I'm sure she'd appreciate them though. Good day, Ms. Mei."  
  
"Good day, Mr. Barton."  
  
The door clicked shut with his departure and Anna flopped back onto the couch with a sigh. "That was stressful."  
  
Cavel stuck his head out. "Is he gone?"  
  
"Fortunately."  
  
He slowly padded out into the room and sat down across from her. "Did you have to antagonize him? He's a very dangerous man."  
  
"I know it. He just strikes a wrong chord with me somewhere." Anna muttered.  
  
"Stay as far away from him as possible, Mei. He's fine if you don't bother him, but he'll make your life miserable if he gets pissed off at you." Cavel warned.  
  
"I have a hard time seeing that man pissed off at anything. Mr. Ice Block 2.0. He's a traitor, that's all that concerns me." Anna said.  
  
Cavel stared at her. "A traitor? Against OWN?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. Against the gundam pilots. He was with them for almost seven years and then he joins something like OWN? What's the matter with him? He nearly gave his life during the wars to make sure organizations like OWN didn't take over the world. It doesn't make any sense."  
  
"Wow. You know a lot about him." Cavel said.  
  
Anna realized she'd said a little too much. "I studied the gundam pilots after the war with Marimeia."  
  
"I didn't know there was that much information about them released to the public." Cavel said.  
  
Anna grinned at him. "There wasn't."  
  
The telephone rang, shattering the comfortable conversation. Cavel leaned over and picked it up. He offered the phone to Anna. "It's for you. It's Lydia."  
  
Anna took the phone and tried not to roll her eyes. "Yes? Yes, I see. Of course. We'll be there in an hour. Oh, and Lydia? You can talk to Cavel. He'll relay anything important to me." Anna hung the phone up. "Sorry, Slick, I just stuck you with being secretary."  
  
He laughed shortly. "Fantastic. Where are we going?"  
  
"Victor wants us in his office in one hour. So shower, clean up, and look sharp. I want him to think you don't miss being in OWN one bit."  
  
He smiled gently. "I don't."  
  
She smiled back at him. "Good. And he says get ready to play a game."  
  
The man posing as Duo pulled up outside the warehouse. He had rented a car in Columbus, and found out where the Yuy woman's studio was. He knew Quatre was inside but he wasn't quite sure how to go about getting him back. It wasn't the right time to totally blow his cover, but he wasn't sure he could do it without looking completely suspicious. He glanced at his watch and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. He hated things he didn't plan for.  
  
A sound diverted his attention and he glanced in the rear view mirror. Something was moving in the woody area behind the semi-empty studio. He slid down in his seat and watched the area carefully. Another flash of fabric caught his eye. He muttered a curse under his breath.  
  
"OWN lackeys. What the devil do they think they're doing here?" he growled.  
  
Jack Avis stared at the tan LTD through binoculars from the wooded area. "That idiot! What in the name of St. Jude is he doing here?" he muttered.  
  
"Who?" Dana asked by his ear.  
  
"That freak Victor hired to pose as a double for Duo Maxwell is here. He's going to ruin it." He snarled.  
  
"We can take him out, Jack." The soldier named Dan said.  
  
Jack shook his head. "Victor would have us all killed. Son of a gun. Well, there's nothing we can do. If he gets killed in the crossfire that's his problem."  
  
"Are you sure there'll be crossfire?" Dana asked.  
  
"Yes. Once we have Mr. Winner as bait, and the Yuys know we'll kill him, there won't be a problem. But we have to get to him before the Yuys arrive if we want to avoid crossfire." Jack replied. He thought for a minute.  
  
"Dana, Jeffery. Go up the back wall and go through the window up there. Be quiet about it. We don't want to alarm Mr. Winner to our presence, and we don't want to spook Mr. Maxwell in to a hasty action. We'll give you five minutes."  
  
They nodded and disappeared around the back of the warehouse.  
  
Jack motioned for Dan to scoot closer.  
  
"What have we got, boss?" Dan asked.  
  
They were lying prone, shoulder to shoulder; watching the warehouse and the car that the Duo double was in.  
  
"What we have is trouble, my friend. All we had to do before was hold Mr. Winner at gunpoint and convince the lady Yuy to come with us. Now we have to watch this lunatic. If he jumps the shark, he could get us all killed by Heero Yuy."  
  
Dan nodded. "Well, like I said, I could take him out and have it over with."  
  
Again, Jack shook his head to the negative. "It's a tempting offer, Dan, but no. Too much of a risk. I'll tell you what, though. Skirt around through the trees to the rear of his car. If he tries to interrupt proceedings, jump him. Don't kill him just detain him. Sit on him if you have to."  
  
Dan nodded. "No problem." He stood, and helped pull Jack to his feet. Jack gave him a quick pat on the back and Dan was off through the trees.  
  
Jack cautiously moved towards the front of the building until he was in plain sight of the car. He gave a wave to the man, and headed to the door, gun drawn.  
  
The man snarled at him from inside the car, but made no motion to move. He'd just see how this played out. He slid down further in the car, so he was completely out of sight.  
  
Jack disappeared into the front of the building. He glanced around the front office to find nothing. He moved past the desk into the back room where the bulk of the warehouse was. The first thing he saw was Quatre Raberba Winner sitting in an up-righted chair, holding his left shoulder. There was only a minimal amount of blood, and he was glaring lightly at the two soldiers. Dana and Jeffery were shouting at each other in their native language of Polish. Jeffery was standing still, holding Quatre under the gun.  
  
Jack groaned and lowered his gun. "Shut up! Both of you!" he bellowed. "What did you do?"  
  
"He was armed, we didn't know it. Dana got trigger happy." Jeffery mumbled.  
  
Jack turned his glare on the girl. "Do you know what you could have done?" he growled. "The last thing we need is for this man to wind up dead." He knelt in front of Quatre. "Daijoubu desu ka?"  
  
Quatre looked surprised. "Daijoubu, arigato."  
  
"I'm sorry you got injured, Mr. Winner. That wasn't what we planned."  
  
Quatre raised an eyebrow. "Planned?"  
  
Jack nodded. "I don't like people getting killed, Mr. Winner. Mr. Barton doesn't feel comfortable with General Victor's schemes, so he and I have devised a way for you and Mrs. Yuy to be safely...uh... kidnapped. So to speak."  
  
Quatre smiled sadly and shifted. "I don't think Mr. Barton cares much to what happens to me anymore, Mr.?"  
  
"My name's Jack Avis."  
  
"Mr. Avis. And I'm afraid Heero Yuy won't allow you to take Chase without some fight."  
  
Jack smiled. "Well, that's why you're bait, Mr. Winner. It honestly would be safer for everybody, if you'd just play along. Please?"  
  
Quatre stared at him for a moment. "Let me ask you a question. If your friend had not shot me, would you be explaining this to me now? And why should I believe you?"  
  
"If she had not shot you no, I wouldn't be explaining this. And you shouldn't believe me. But," he paused and continued in Arabic. "There's a bigger picture, Mr. Winner. The safety of the world is at stake, not just your friendship with Mr. Barton."  
  
Quatre looked twice as surprised as before. He thought about it. "Very well. It's not as if I have a choice, now do I?"  
  
Jack shook his head. "No, I'm afraid you don't."  
  
"Lieutenant?" Jeffery called. "Another car pulled up."  
  
"The Yuys?" Jack asked.  
  
"No. It's the oriental man."  
  
Wufei had pulled up behind the tan LTD. He'd followed Duo as closely as he possibly could to here. Wufei got out of the car and leaned against the door.  
  
"What in the world is going on here?" he mused.  
  
At that very moment, not too far away, the Baron landed in a field just out of the city. Chase Yuy piled out of the plane in a rush, dragging two duffel bags with her. "Let's move it! If Quatre didn't get that note in time..."  
  
Heero grabbed a bag and followed after her. "Dimitri, hide the plane. I don't care how you do it, just do it."  
  
The old man growled low in his throat. "Guess the tables have turned, kid," he muttered. "You give the orders now." In a louder voice he called, "Be careful, you two! And take care of him, Chase."  
  
"Will do!" the American said with a smirk as she and her husband made a run for the warehouse that was just inside town.  
  
"What did he mean by that?"  
  
"Oh nothing," Chase responded.  
  
"I get the strangest sense of déjà vu around that man. It's almost like I knew him at one time..." He thought a moment. "He reminds me of Odin."  
  
Chase gave a little smirk. "Ya never know who'll turn up in this world."  
  
Heero's eyes grew wide. "That IS Odin?!"  
  
Chase opened her mouth to say something, then stopped when the sound of a helicopter neared. "Drop!"  
  
The Yuys dropped to the ground as the helicopter flew over head.  
  
"It's heading for the Baron," Heero whispered. "We have to-"  
  
Chase grabbed him by the arm. "No."  
  
For a brief moment, Chase saw the little boy that had lost Odin Lowe all those years ago. She had to get him to think reasonably. "What can we do? Odin's a big boy. He can take care of himself."  
  
Heero nodded. "Then let's go."  
  
*Quoted by Richard Rowland 


	23. When Does the Big Picture Come Into View...

Chapter Twenty-three: When Does the "Big Picture" Come Into View?   
  
"Is that Wufei?" Chase asked as she spotted the Chinese man stepping out of the car. Her husband nodded. "Could you go get him? He'll get in the way 'cause he doesn't have a clue what's going on."  
  
Heero agreed with another nod and then sprinted off towards the Chinese man.  
  
Chase sighed heavily when she surveyed the rest of the scene. OWN agents were all around and Quatre in midst of them all. "Blast it all," she muttered. "It couldn't be much worse than this."  
  
"I'm sure it could, Mrs. Yuy," a voice came from behind.  
  
Chase whirled around, seeing the OWN uniform on the young man. She avoided his poorly aimed bullet and came around the back of him with lightning speed. She quickly silenced him.  
  
Quatre looked worriedly towards where the gunshot had come from.  
  
"Don't worry, Mr. Winner. Your friend is unharmed."  
  
"Trowa would have you killed if it were any other way," Quatre said quietly.  
  
"That he would." Avis turned his attention towards where the shot was heard. "Mrs. Yuy, if you would step forward things would be much simpler."  
  
Silence followed his request.  
  
"Must I use Mr. Winner here as an option?"  
  
A small form stepped out of the shadows, gun in hand. She stepped forward. "Release him. I would rather leave here with no casualties."  
  
"Don't be a fool, Mrs. Yuy. Look around you."  
  
Indeed, when Chase looked, she saw men from OWN all around. A smirk crossed her lips and she shrugged. "You think THEY would bother ME? They are children. I doubt they've had the extensive training they would need to even be a challenge."  
  
One of the men (boys) stepped forward. "When we are through with you, missy-"  
  
"Stop," Avis commanded. He stepped forward. Chase made no movement to advance or retreat; she simply stood. When Avis reached her he smiled. "You are to be a guest with Commander Barton."  
  
"Tell him I decline."  
  
"I'm afraid that can not be accepted."  
  
"I believe it can," Heero's gruff voice said from behind Avis.  
  
The taller man turned to find himself looking down the barrel of a gun. "*Yare yare, Heero Yuy. Not much of a surprise, I must say. I've heard that where one Yuy is, you are SURE to find the other close by. Apparently that is correct."  
  
Chase's smirk returned. "I'm afraid, Avis, that your men could not move faster than Heero. You'd be dead and Heero would evade the gunfire."  
  
"But would you?"  
  
Chase twitched slightly. Annoyance. "Of course. I have learned from my husband." (A/N: Either she's REALLY sure in her abilities or she is bluffing...)  
  
"And how good is he?"  
  
"The best."  
  
"Really? So if I was to defeat him... that would make me the best, ne?"  
  
Chase felt a low growl forming in her throat. A smile graced her lips, though it was forced. "That would be near to impossible. Alone."  
  
Avis smiled and turned to Heero. "What do you say, Yuy? Winner takes Mr. Winner and Ms. Yuy here."  
  
"I'M NOT A PRIZE TO BE WON YOU SON OF A-"  
  
"Deal," Heero answered, cutting his wife off.  
  
The men lowered their guns and everyone stepped back.  
  
(A/n: Old fashion duel or something! I'm trying to remember what anime I've seen this in as of late. Dunno, Amanda's been over lately, so it could be one of them... Oye...)  
  
"So what?" Heero asked sarcastically. "We take ten paces?"  
  
"I'm afraid not, Mr. Yuy," he said in a low voice.  
  
Men swarmed Chase, grabbing her and wrenching her gun from her hand.  
  
"What the-?"  
  
A gunshot was heard and Chase tried to peer over all the men that were around her. "Heero!"  
  
She jumped up, planting her foot firmly on one man's shoulder and jumping over them, landing five to ten feet away. Avis stood there, an almost sad look in his eyes. Heero stood as well, but a vacant look was in his dark blue eyes.  
  
"Chase..."  
  
Chase's breath caught as he sunk down to his knees, eyes wide in pain.  
  
"Chase-chan," he mouthed.  
  
She rushed to his side, easing him down to the ground and allowing him to lay his head on her lap. "Heero? Daijoubu ka? Heero? Answer me, baka! BAKA!"  
  
His dark eyes fluttered open and he focused on her. "You're crying, Chase-chan," he murmured as he reached up and wiped the tear away.  
  
She grabbed his hand and clung to it. "You didn't answer me."  
  
"What was the question?"  
  
"Daijoubu ka?"  
  
He smiled slightly. "Hai. Daijoubu, Chase-chan."  
  
She opened her mouth, then closed it when she saw him glare at something behind her. Avis stooped down. "Now, Ms. Yuy, I'll ask you nicely to come with us."  
  
The young woman's eyes narrowed. "Over my dead body."  
  
"I really don't want to do this," Avis said.  
  
Chase looked questioningly. She then felt something hard impact her skull and darkness closed in around her. She faintly heard Heero's voice calling to her, then nothing.  
  
Avis stood, then leaned over and picked Chase's small form up.  
  
"Leave her! She shouldn't even be involved in this! If you want to take someone, take me. I'm the one that got the girls involved. She never asked for a part in this."  
  
"And that, Yuy, is why I'm taking her," Avis said simply. "Commander Barton will take good care of her."  
  
Heero struggled to stand as Avis walked off with his wife. As soon as he made it to his feet, darkness overtook him once more.  
  
Wufei had watched it all. As soon as they had left, he scrambled out to get Heero. He'd get yelled at later by the former pilot of the Wing Gundam, but he didn't care. All he would have done if he had gone out when Heero did was make it impossible for them to escape.  
  
Now he stooped over the Japanese man's still body. "Yuy? Wake up. I'm not going to carry you out of here."  
  
"You may have to," a voice said from the darkness.  
  
Wufei turned, seeing an older man step forward.  
  
Heero's eyes fluttered open at the sound of the new voices. "Wufei... What... Chase. Where is she?"  
  
Wufei looked away. "I'm afraid... there was nothing I could do. I do have a suspicion though, that Barton won't hurt her."  
  
Heero growled something in Japanese.  
  
"Can you stand, kid?" the man asked.  
  
Heero looked to see him for the first time. "Odin..."  
  
He smiled. "Blasted girl could never keep her mouth shut. Yes. It's me."  
  
"You got out of the plane, I see. Are you hurt?"  
  
"No. I've still got some luck left. And you? How 'bout you?" he asked, crouching down next to the wounded pilot.  
  
"I'll live," Heero managed.  
  
"Can you walk?"  
  
"No."  
  
Wufei started to pick the Japanese man up, but Odin waved him off. He then picked him up.  
  
Heero sighed slightly. "You'll help me get her back, right?" he asked quietly.  
  
Odin nodded. "Of course. I'll also tell you the whole story behind her and what she did for me if you want, but for now, sleep. You'll do her no good if you can't even stand."  
  
Heero nodded, allowing himself to slip off into darkness once more.  
  
Chase awoke to find herself lying on a bed. She heard quiet breathing and turned to find the blond Arab pilot. "Ohayo, Chase-chan," Quatre said sweetly. "Does your head hurt?"  
  
"Like heck."  
  
Quatre smiled. "Trowa was in here earlier. Apparently his teams saw Wufei and an older man taking Heero away. They didn't know if he was alive or dead."  
  
Chase curled herself into a little ball and began to sob. "Baka," she muttered over and over.  
  
"Me?" Trowa's voice questioned as the door slid open and he stepped in.  
  
Chase heard his voice and stood up. She walked over to him.  
  
"I'm glad to see you feeling better, Chase-chan," Trowa said.  
  
"I-"  
  
He was cut off by Chase's slap. It sent him stumbling backwards, half because of force and the other half because of shock that she had done it. He reached up to where his cheek was quickly turning red. "Chase..."  
  
"Don't start with me!" she screamed. "I don't want to hear it. I want you to let Quatre and me out right now, then I want you to quit it! Why are you even doing this? Huh, Barton?!"  
  
"Do you hate me so much that you can't call me by my first name?"  
  
She slapped him again. "You... I could have called Trowa by his first name, but not you. I don't know who or what you are."  
  
Trowa's dark eyes widened a fraction. "Very well, Chase-san," he said quietly. "I only came to inform you that your husband is very much alive... for the moment, that is." That said, he turned and left.  
  
Chase shrunk to the floor, fresh tears welling up in her eyes. "What's going on, Quatre? We use to be able to tell the good guys from the bad. Why can't we anymore? Why are our own friends turning against us?"  
  
Quatre walked over and gave the smaller girl a quick hug. "I don't know, Chase-chan. I really don't. I never expected it to turn out this way."  
  
Chase stood up suddenly. She walked over to a mirror and stopped. She looked at her long blond hair, fingering slightly. "Quatre?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
Chase pulled out a pocketknife, one that they had not found, only because she was very good at hiding them. She pulled her hair back and sliced through it. It fell to the floor, leaving it a short length. "You look very much like you did when you were younger, with your hair cut like that, Chase," Quatre said.  
  
Chase wiped away the last tears. "I'm tired of being Jenny Russell," she said with a sigh. "I miss my old life as Chase Yuy." She reached into a hidden pocket in her jacket and pulled out a small explosive. "I think... I think it's best that the old days are relived, ne, Quatre-kun?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then, what do you say we relive them? Just as we use to?" She tossed the explosive over to the door and it went off. "Let's go."  
  
Quatre looked at her. There was a look in her eye. One that he had not seen in the young manga artist. It was one he had seen a little over ten years ago when he fought along side Chase Yuy.  
  
*My my 


	24. Didn't Curiosity Kill the Cat?

Chapter Twenty-Four: Didn't Curiosity Kill the Cat?  
  
Meg Collins shoved the note under her paperweight. All it said was, `All clear on the home front,' but she assumed that the point would be taken.  
  
Secondly, she dropped the violet colored box down on her desk. She'd found it on the bed in Doctor Estes' room and it said `Akago' on the top. Meg had been around her friend long enough to know it was Japanese, but she couldn't remember ever hearing the term before. Her hands hovered over the box. Maybe she shouldn't open it...  
  
Meg shrugged and pulled the lid off the box. She let out a small gasp of surprise at what was on top.  
  
"A sonogram?" she exclaimed. "That's impossible at that stage! How did they get such a detailed picture?"  
  
She placed it to the side and pulled out the next item in the box. It was a nameplate. "Jack Robert Maxwell," Meg read aloud. "Maxwell. Isn't that the name of the guy she said was her husband? She had a son..." Meg murmured.  
  
She continued going through the box. A baby Bible, patches of quilt fabric, more sonogram photos, a group shot of seven people. Meg recognized -Anna, did he call her? - And Jenny, her roommate, and the man Duo in the picture. The tall man in the back looked familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it. She put that on top of the other things from the box and pulled out what looked to be a journal page.  
  
Dear Journal,  
  
Wufei found out today.  
  
Meg stopped reading. Wufei, he was the oriental man. She glanced at the picture, then continued.  
  
It was all-my fault, really. He asked me if I wanted to spar as usually on Saturday and I agreed. Unfortunately, having extra baggage doesn't help my agility. Jack didn't like the fighting so well and I got severe cramps all of a sudden. I curled over when Fei-chan was expecting a block and he nearly impaled me. After several colorful exclamations, he knelt by me and asked if I was all right. I think I said something along the lines of, "What do you think?"   
  
Jack decided to let me breathe a little and I sat back. Wufei and I just kneeled there, across from each other, staring at each other. I could tell this was going to be one of those moments when I was going to feel guilty again. Somehow, being quiet around him always makes me feel guilty. Like I betrayed him somehow.  
  
He reached out and brushed the back of his fingers along my jaw line. "You're pregnant." He said. He said it quietly, and it wasn't a question. Shock must have registered all over my face, but after I thought about it I wasn't surprised. Of course he would know. I told him yes. I'll never forget what we said next, as long as I live.  
  
"Moshimo watashi toiu naniyara isso, aitsu sugisattakanousei sotsu.*" He murmured.  
  
"Tabun. Demo, watashi kibou anata ai sotsu dakaratte.**" I replied. And I meant it.  
  
Meg slowly lowered the paper. It was the end of the entry, and there were no more inside the box. She had no earthly idea what they said, but she could feel the emotion behind the words. Whatever it was, it was important. There was only one thing left in the box, and Meg wasn't sure whether to read it or not. She felt like a total rat going through it now that she knew what it was.  
  
"In for a penny, in for a pound." She said to herself.  
  
The last piece of paper in the box was folded over and over into a tiny square. She almost ripped it trying to pull it open. It was the same type of paper as the journal entry, so Meg guessed it was from the same journal or one just like it. She turned it over to see the writing.  
  
He is gone, and he never knew.   
  
"What in the world does that mean?" Meg exclaimed. This was all too weird. She'd gone to medical school with this girl for seven years, and she'd never known any of this. But there was one thing above all that was bugging her. What happened to Jack Robert Maxwell? People didn't usually miscarry a baby after the first trimester, and that's when the last sonogram was from. It was possible she lost it after, but it wasn't all that likely. And however surprising all of it was, Meg knew her friend would never abort a baby.  
  
Meg groaned and rubbed her eyes. She was still groggy from the drugs she'd been given by the OWN interrogators. However, once Meg Collins wanted to know something, she found it out no matter what. She placed everything back in the box and went to her locker. She pulled out the bag she kept extra clothes and personal items in and stuck the box in there. There was only one thing for her to do.  
  
"Find Wufei Chang." She muttered. "And that means digging through more of Anna's things."  
  
"Congratulations, Jack, it was a brilliant move." Trowa said, startling the younger man.  
  
He turned to his superior. "Thank you, Commander."  
  
Trowa shook his head. "Don't be angry with me, Jack, please. I'd hope you'd know I would back you up if you needed me."  
  
Jack smiled grimly. "I know that. It's not that. Why didn't you tell me that the sniper took Cavel? He was like a brother to me."  
  
"You make it sound as if she killed him. She's taking care of him. Better care than he'd get here. He was too young and too vulnerable for a job like this." Trowa replied.  
  
Jack brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "I suppose. But will she kill him if he's to gentle for her as well?"  
  
Trowa shook his head. "No. I met her today. She's not really the type to be an assassin, but I have a feeling when she works she's good at it."  
  
He nodded. "If you say so. How are relations with the captives?"  
  
Trowa glared at him. "As I expected."  
  
"But not as you hoped."  
  
"You know me that well."  
  
"It's what anyone would have wanted. But don't forget, you are a traitor in their sight." Jack said.  
  
"I'm a traitor by every right." Trowa said quietly.  
  
"You don't believe the end justifies the means?" Jack asked.  
  
"I believe that the means can be much more significant than the end. And I have made hell for these people, which is a cruel mean indeed." Trowa replied.  
  
Jack sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "I was never a fan of self-sacrifice."  
  
"If that was true you wouldn't be here. Are you all right?"  
  
The younger man nodded. "Just tired. A few hours sleep and I'll be good as new. I heard Victor wants Chase to play one of his games."  
  
"I know. I've been invited myself, and Hoshimawari Mei."  
  
"Can I be there, Trowa?"  
  
"No. I know what you're thinking, and if you're right I don't want you in the line of fire." He replied.  
  
"Trowa..."  
  
"Jack, enough. You've done more than your share. I'll take it from here." Trowa said firmly.  
  
Jack shrugged. "Fine. What are you going to do with Quatre Winner and the real Maxwell?"  
  
"I don't know what I'm going to do with Quatre right now. My main concern is keeping Victor as far away from him as possible, because in Victor's eyes he is perfectly expendable. As for Duo, he's still sedated, isn't he?"  
  
Jack nodded.  
  
"I'll just keep him that way until the double is either paid off or dead. I have a feeling we'll have to end up taking him off the roster by force." Trowa responded.  
  
"You don't think he'll go quietly." Jack said.  
  
"No. Not if there's more money to be made."  
  
"He was there at the raid today. He didn't do a thing."  
  
"Idiot. Should have never hired him. I suppose it's just as well, it would have looked strange if he'd gotten involved."  
  
"We may as well pay him off now and get rid of him. There's nothing left for him to do, really."  
  
"No, not really. We know Heero and Wufei are together, and an older man. We know the real Duo is here in level nine. Chase and Quatre are here under protection." Trowa said.  
  
"And you're obviously not teaming up with any of them. But that makes six." Jack said.  
  
Trowa gave him a confused look. "What?"  
  
Jack stared at him. "Six. That makes six gundam pilots. There were seven, remember? You're missing the other girl."  
  
A look of realization dawned on Trowa's face. "Anna," he murmured. "The only time I've seen her during this whole ordeal was at the first attack at that party."  
  
"Maybe she got killed." Jack said.  
  
"No. Chase would be blaming me for that too if she was." Trowa said dryly.  
  
"You might want to watch for her then. She could be sneaking up on you from somewhere." Jack warned.  
  
Trowa nodded. "She was always sneaky."  
  
Alarms blared and the sirens went off.  
  
"Apparently your former girlfriend wasn't happy with the conditions." Jack remarked.  
  
Trowa glared at him. "Great. I was afraid she'd do this. Shimmata."  
  
"Well, while you go play the villain, I'm going to bed. Good night." Jack said.  
  
"Right." Trowa sighed.  
  
While the Commander and his Lieutenant were discussing the missing gundam pilot, she was knocking on General Victor's door.  
  
Inside the office, Victor grinned to himself. "Enter." He summoned.  
  
Anna came in, followed by Cavel. "General." They greeted together.  
  
"Ms. Mei, Cavel. Come in, you're just in time to watch the games begin." He smiled.  
  
Cavel shot a look at Anna, which she returned. There was something evil behind those hazel-gold eyes of his. Something that was either missing, or was there that shouldn't be.  
  
"You speak a lot of games, General Victor. You like to play them?" Anna asked demurely.  
  
"Yes, Ms. Mei, I enjoy games very much. I like them because there is always one winner and one loser. Not like in regular life, where everybody can be a loser." Victor said.  
  
"Begging your pardon, sir, but everyone can be a winner in life as well, if they work for it." Cavel said quietly, but firmly.  
  
Victor looked surprised. "Well, said, young man. You may have a future in politics."  
  
"Thank you." He said.  
  
"Do you like games, Mei?" Victor asked.  
  
"I used to play them as a girl, but I haven't played many since I graduated high school." She answered.  
  
"Yes. It's such a pity. More adults should play games, really. It would make their lives so much more pleasurable."  
  
"I suppose so. I never thought about it much." Anna said, trying to sound diplomatic.  
  
"Do, Miss Mei. It especially fun when there's an element of danger, but you know you'll win." Victor said.  
  
At that point, red lights began flashing inside the office and alarms started ringing.  
  
"Wonderful. Just as planned." Victor grinned.  
  
Cavel and Anna shared another look. "What's going on, General?" Anna asked.  
  
Victor pushed a button on the side of his desk and the mahogany wall panel across from his desk slid back to reveal a screen. The screen lit up with a picture of a hall that was filling with OWN soldiers.  
  
"General Victor..." Anna said.  
  
"Patience, patience, Miss Mei. We will see soon enough."  
  
Anna didn't like where this was going at all.  
  
Chase and Quatre tore down the maze of halls that made up OWN's headquarters. They had soldiers on their tail, and it wasn't looking good for the winded blonde boy.  
  
"Come on, Quatre! Move!" Chase hissed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Chase, I'm going as fast as I can." He gasped.  
  
They came to a fork in the floor.  
  
"Right or left?" Chase asked.  
  
Quatre shook his head. "Left." He guessed.  
  
Chase nodded and they took off in the said direction.  
  
Anna stifled a gasp and Chase and Quatre came in range of the camera.  
  
"What are you doing?" she demanded.  
  
"Playing my game. Watch." Victor instructed.  
  
Chase and Quatre came to an abrupt halt as they found themselves faced with a group of soldiers. The soldiers that had been chasing them came up and trapped them between the two.  
  
Chase's eyes darted around for an escape route but she found none.  
  
Trowa emerged from the back of the group and leaned against the wall. "So we meet again."  
  
"You..." Chase growled.  
  
"Trowa," Quatre whispered.  
  
"You know the drill. Failed escape has its price. Raise." Trowa said.  
  
Both groups raised their guns.  
  
Chase's eyes widened. So it would come down to this. Quatre gasped.  
  
Anna stared in horror at the screen. Trowa was going to kill them.  
  
Quatre reached out to him. "Trowa, please, I beg of you," he said softly.  
  
"Ready." Trowa said flatly.  
  
Chase shook her head. "You wouldn't." she snapped.  
  
But Quatre could see that he would. He pulled his hand back, and slowly turned around.  
  
"Oya," Anna murmured. Quatre had quite literally turned his back on Trowa.  
  
"Fire." Trowa said.  
  
Chase stiffened. She started to say something, but was cut off as the soldiers complied.  
  
Anna nearly lunged for the screen as both Chase and Quatre fell.  
  
Cavel grabbed her arm. "Darts." He whispered.  
  
Trying to control her shaking, she turned on Victor. "Sadistic kind of game, isn't it?" she growled.  
  
"But isn't it?" he replied. He picked up his phone. "Yes. Bring the girl to my office. Take Mr. Winner to interrogation." He hung up. "If you thought that was bad, Mei, you haven't seen anything yet."  
  
No, Anna thought, this wasn't going anywhere pleasant.  
  
*If I had said something sooner, he might have been my son.  
  
**Maybe. But I hope you love him all the same. 


	25. Meetings Between Worlds

Chapter Twenty-Five: Meetings between worlds  
  
Heero Yuy's eyes fluttered open as he came too. They quickly closed when met by the early morning light. He groaned slightly.  
  
"I thought you'd never wake up, Yuy," Wufei's voice came from a chair on the other side of the room.  
  
"So she's gone?"  
  
Wufei cringed. It would take a bit to explain why he hadn't rushed head first into battle and tried to get the petite pilot out of danger, just as Heero would have (and did). The Chinese pilot had seen he was outnumbered and only would have caused more trouble for Quatre and Chase if he'd gone in to try to help. Though Heero never thought sensibly when it came to Chase.  
  
"Yes," Wufei said quietly. "There was nothing I could do."  
  
Heero turned so that he was looking away from his comrade. "I know."  
  
"So, finally awake, ne kid?"  
  
The two pilots turned to see Odin step into the room. "How ya feelin' kid?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
Odin smiled slightly. "I'm working on getting Chase and Quatre back. It's taking some time. I have been out of the business for a while, but old habits die hard and it is coming along. Your friend Barton hasn't covered all of his tracks."  
  
"Trowa Barton is no friend of mine," Heero answered.  
  
"You said something about telling us the whole story behind what Chase did for you," Wufei said. "What did you mean by that?"  
  
Odin smiled. " Some years ago I was sent to this world, not knowing where I was or how I got here. It was more of a blur than anything was. I wondered pretty much aimlessly for a while until I found out that the year was 2005AD - late in the year - and I didn't have a clue where to go for help. That was sometime in late December.  
  
"In early January I still had little idea of what was going on. I had only been there a week, actually. A...incident... happened and I was forced to keep out of sight of the police. I still had no idea what was going on.  
  
"A couple days later I met a young woman, about nineteen at the time..."  
  
*flashback *  
  
A young girl passed where he was sitting and stopped. He'd received many strange looks since he had gotten here, so he assumed he was just out of place somehow.  
  
"Konichi wa."  
  
Odin bowed his head slightly. "Konichi wa."  
  
"You seem troubled."  
  
Odin looked at her. She was petite, medium length strawberry blond hair, and light brown eyes hidden behind dark rimmed glasses that rested on her nose. She smiled. "Is something bothering you, sir?"  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
The young woman knelt down in front of him and smiled again. "Watashi wa Thate Elise. Anata?"  
  
What a forward young girl... "Lowe Odin."  
  
Elise's eyes widened. "Odin Lowe? Is that your name? Tell me, Lowe-san, how long have you been in Tokyo?"  
  
"A week or so."  
  
"Do you know a young man... or at least use to know... a young man named Heero?"  
  
Odin's eyes widened a fraction. "Yes."  
  
Very likely not even the same Heero. Did he even go by Heero when he was young?  
  
"What was his last name?"  
  
"Yuy."  
  
Too close. Maybe...  
  
"If you don't mind my asking: where did you come from before you came to Tokyo?"  
  
"I know you wouldn't believe me if I told you."  
  
It's MY Heero's Odin. It is! He found a way to come to our world!  
  
"Try me."  
  
Odin relayed his story of how he got there, strange though it was. Elise's smile grew each moment as he relayed his tale.  
  
"Just don't call the cops and have me thrown in the loony bin."  
  
"Now allow me to tell you something, Odin-san." She looked around. "Perhaps... in the middle of the street isn't the best place for this discussion. Care to go down to the tea shop?" (A/N: I don't know if they really have tea shops like the do coffee shops in Tokyo, but bear with me... I don't like coffee...)  
  
Odin nodded. "Yes."  
  
Odin listened as Elise related her stories of being dragged into the other universe at age fourteen (along with her best friend) and her meetings with the Gundam boys, Dr. J, Ryuujin, and all the others. She related her love relations with Heero Yuy and Trowa Barton, and the death of her husband. She told about her depression after Heero died and how she and Anna had come home.  
  
"So... Are you Elise-san or Chase-san?"  
  
"I'd prefer you to call me 'Elise' so that I don't have to remember my old life every day. It hurts."  
  
Odin nodded. "I'm sorry to hear the kid died. I was hoping he'd make a life for himself if I wasn't there to screw it up."  
  
Elise smiled sadly. "Now, Odin-san, what are you running from?"  
  
*end flashback *  
  
"I'm still not entirely sure how she knew I was running from something, but she knew how to solve the problem. I really don't even know how she did it, or if she just used her influence. Whatever it was, I'm still in debt that girl, no matter what she says. We'll find her."  
  
"Arigatou."  
  
"Restrain your indignant anger, Miss Mei. I understand for a woman such as yourself, with your personality, that you do things evenly. You do thing bluntly without pretense. Tricks, maybe, but you do things where people can figure them out. I however, do not act this way. I like my games, and unfortunately for you, you agreed to be a player." Victor said to the seething Anna.  
  
"Games, certainly, messing with peoples lives like that isn't a game. It's cruelty." She snapped.  
  
"It's what I thrive on. Now sit down or I will find someone else to play." Victor responded icily.  
  
Bending to the threat, Anna sat and crossed her arms. This guy was not healthy to be around. He had sent Cavel out of the room, leaving her alone with the General.  
  
Trowa entered the room, but balked when he saw her. "I didn't know you had company. My apologies."  
  
"I want you here together, Commander. Come in and take a seat next to her. You did beautifully with the capture." Victor said.  
  
Trowa sat next to Anna. "Thank you." He said softly.  
  
Anna was torn. There was a lot of pain behind those two words, as if he regretted doing it. But if that was so, what was he doing? Why was he fooling everyone? And what about what he had done to Quatre? She frowned and bit her lip. One of the things she hated most was not knowing.  
  
Someone knocked on the door.  
  
"Enter!" Victor shouted.  
  
A soldier opened a door and two more came in carrying Chase between them.  
  
"Good. Place her on the couch against the wall. Leave us." Victor instructed.  
  
The soldiers did as they were told and hastened out of the room.  
  
Victor sat back in his chair and smiled that evil grin again. "Perfection is always worth the price."  
  
"Perfection?" both Trowa and Anna asked together. They looked at each other in surprise.  
  
Victor continued to grin. "Of course. I set up the scenario I wanted. It should play out, as I want. I'll get what I want."  
  
"Wonderful. Welcome to the opposite of Walt Disney." Anna remarked.  
  
"Quite." Victor replied.  
  
"Why do you need me? I do have other duties to be attending to." Trowa said.  
  
"Patience, patience. Ms. Yuy should be waking up very soon." Victor answered.  
  
As if on cue, the young woman on the couch stirred. "What happened?" she groaned.  
  
"Welcome back, Ms. Yuy. Miss Mei, Commander, if you would go stand against the far wall I would appreciate it."  
  
Anna slowly pushed herself up from her seat and walked over to the wall opposite from Chase. She didn't look at him, but she saw Trowa come to stand next to her from the corner of her eye.  
  
"I suddenly feel like I'm being lined up for execution." She murmured to him.  
  
"I wouldn't know. I've never been on the receiving end of a firing squad before." Trowa replied.  
  
"You remember what I said about either one of us being expendable?" she asked.  
  
"Yes, I do. The phrase better you than me comes to mind." Trowa said.  
  
"That's exactly what I was thinking." Anna said dryly.  
  
During their exchange, Victor had stood and put on his uniform jacket. Chase had sat up and was looking between him and the two against the wall.  
  
"And you are?" she finally asked.  
  
"My name is General Victor Marston. Most people simply refer to me as General." Victor said.  
  
"I see." She glanced back over at Anna and Trowa. "What do you want from me?" Chase didn't like the situation she was in. She was out of ammo, and out of escape plans.  
  
"Today is your lucky day, Ms. Yuy." Victor told her.  
  
Chase raised an eyebrow. "I beg to differ. My day has been anything but lucky. Or pleasant, for that matter." She glared at Trowa.  
  
Trowa avoided her gaze and continued to stare at Victor. No matter what he had said to whom he knew only as Mei, he was beginning to get that nagging feeling somebody was going to die.  
  
"Ah, but the day isn't over yet. It's your lucky day because you're going to live. One of these fine people are not." Victor said.  
  
"Oh boy." Anna muttered.  
  
"Excuse me?" Chase asked, standing carefully.  
  
"Well, I don't really need both of them alive. You get to pick which one stays and which one takes a permanent vacation." Victor said, as if explaining to a small child.  
  
"Absolutely not. I don' t even know that woman." Chase said. This was outrageous.  
  
"Oh, of course not. My apologies. This is Hoshimawari Mei. I employed her yesterday. She's a sniper as well, a pity you won't know each other better. Or maybe you will." He shrugged.  
  
"Glad to meet you." Anna said sarcastically.  
  
Chase didn't respond. "You're crazy. I won't do it."  
  
Victor pulled a gun out of his coat and leveled it between Trowa and Anna. "Then I will make it simple and kill both of them."  
  
"Um, I don't suppose Commander Barton or I get a say in this?" Anna asked.  
  
He smiled cruelly. "No, I'm afraid you don't."  
  
"Aha. Just curious." She shrugged. She was suddenly glad she still had her holster on. Trowa, she noticed, wasn't armed.  
  
"Wait," Chase said harshly. "You really expect me to believe you'd kill both of them just to get a rise out of me?"  
  
"Of course not." Victor said.  
  
Chase looked smug.  
  
"I expect you to believe I'll kill them because at the moment I feel like it."  
  
All three of them nearly hit the floor.  
  
"You have to be kidding," Anna exclaimed.  
  
"I play games, Miss Mei. I don't joke."  
  
Chase calculated her options. She could jump him, but she was to far away to prevent one of them from getting shot. She could distract him and give one of them a chance to jump him, but she didn't know how to read the other girl, and she wasn't about to ask for help from Trowa. In fact, she should tell Victor to shoot him just out of revenge. But once upon a time...she *had* been in love with him... And the other girl was a complete stranger... Chase felt a twinge in her chest. "Trowa," she whispered.  
  
"Pardon?" Victor asked. He had heard perfectly well.  
  
"I...I want him to live..." she said quietly.  
  
"Very well." Victor said almost pleasantly.  
  
"I object!" Anna said.  
  
Chase looked at the floor.  
  
"He'll be the one to die."  
  
"What?!" both girls exclaimed.  
  
Victor swung the gun in his direction. Trowa tensed.  
  
"No!" Chase shouted.  
  
"Crap," Anna muttered. She ripped her gun out and stepped in front of the banged boy. She aimed it at Victor. "Don't. You heard the lady."  
  
"Why didn't you do that before?!" Chase hollered.  
  
"Why set off an explosion if you can defuse it?" Anna replied.  
  
Victor lowered his gun and began to laugh.  
  
Anna released the cock on her gun and brought down as well. "Son of a gun. That's exactly what you wanted, isn't it?"  
  
Victor continued to laugh and nodded.  
  
"You son of..." Chase growled and lunged at him.  
  
The larger man grabbed her wrist as she ran at him and flung her across the room. She landed in front of Anna and Trowa. Both of them automatically bent to help her. She snarled at them and wrenched her arm out of Trowa's grasp.  
  
Victor had called in his guards and they quickly detained the girl. "Take her to interrogation far away from Mr. Winner. I don't want any more escapes."  
  
"You won't get away with this, Victor. I'll kill you! And if I don't one of my friends will." Chase snapped.  
  
"I'm sure they will." He answered.  
  
They dragged her off, and the three left in Victor's office could hear her varied expressions down the hall.  
  
"You're dismissed, Commander." Victor said, an amused expression still on his face.  
  
Trowa gave one last glance at Anna who shrugged. He bowed stiffly and left.  
  
"You can leave too, Miss Mei. I appreciate your participation."  
  
"You're a sick man." Anna said.  
  
"I know. Good day."  
  
"I hope you die a horrible death." She spat and turned to leave. She nearly collided with three men who barged into the room.  
  
Victor arched an eyebrow. "Can I help you?" he asked.  
  
One of them took a deep breath. "Sir, it's that man we caught sneaking into grounds last night."  
  
"The one with blue hair?" Victor asked.  
  
"Yes, Sir."  
  
"What's wrong with him?"  
  
"Well, we're having a hard time restraining him. He keeps threatening us."  
  
Victor looked irritated. "Threatening you with what?"  
  
They looked at each other. "Sneezing." They said as one, and nervously.  
  
Anna stopped short outside of the door. "Sneezing?" she muttered to herself.  
  
"Sneezing?" Victor boomed. "You're afraid of a man sneezing?"  
  
"We just don't know what to do with him, Sir."  
  
"Let him shout and scream until he's hoarse for all I care. Sneezing. Where are your guts? Your fearlessness? What kind of soldiers are you?" Victor snapped.  
  
"Um, General?" Anna asked coming back into the room.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Could I see this man?"  
  
"If you like. Take her down there."  
  
The three nodded and led Anna out of the room and down to the seventh level.  
  
"He's an odd sort of chap," one of them told her.  
  
"Really?" Anna asked amusedly. She had no doubt, if she was right.  
  
They came to a stop in front of a cell that was generating a lot of noise.  
  
Anna grinned like a Cheshire cat. "You can go now." She told them. They nodded and sped out of the hall like there was no tomorrow. After they were gone, she leaned her head against the door and laughed. A boy came down the hall.  
  
"Can I help you, miss?" he asked.  
  
"Actually, has this man eaten since he's been brought here?" she asked.  
  
"No ma'am, I don't think so."  
  
"Good. Go get him something to eat, and make sure there's lots of pepper on it." Anna instructed.  
  
The boy looked confused. "Sure thing."  
  
"Wait," Anna called. She pulled a pen and piece of paper out of her pocket. On it she wrote, "Chase is here." She handed it to the boy.  
  
"Put this on his tray, will you?"  
  
"Yes ma'am." He started off on his task.  
  
"Oh, and kid?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"After you give it to him, run for your life. Promise?"  
  
The boy looked even more confused. "I promise."  
  
He disappeared and Cavel turned the corner. "Hey. Victor told me you were here. What's up?"  
  
Anna grinned and tapped the door. "The first thing that's gone right this week. Come on, we don't want to be here when he gets out."  
  
They left, and as they got off the property, they could hear sirens going off in the background.  
  
Chase looked up when the door slid open. Trowa walked in and looked at her. "You were willing to save my life back there."  
  
"You were going to die back there!"  
  
"If we live, if we die, it's all for a greater good, isn't it, Chase?" Pause. "Well? Isn't it?!" Another pause. "Answer me!"  
  
Chase felt tears sting her eyes but held them back. "...baka... Trowa no baka!" she screamed. "You don't even know what you're saying! Are you willing to die FOR the same type thing you would have died fighting AGAINST just ten years ago?!"  
  
"What do I have to loose?"  
  
"Everything! Your friends, your family, your life! Trowa-kun, if you'd come back, I could get them to accept you again. It'd take time, but we'd accept you for who you were years ago, just like after Marimaea."  
  
Trowa looked at her for a moment. "Chase..."  
  
The young girl glared at him for a second. "Answer me some things, Trowa," she whispered. "Please?"  
  
"You may ask. I can't swear I'll answer them."  
  
"Hikari. Where is she?"  
  
Trowa smirked slightly. "She is well. I've kept her under my custody, not Victor's. Victor would have added her into his games and she'd be dead by now. Your little artist is quite all right and will be sent home when it is safe to do so. Your other questions?"  
  
"Just one."  
  
"Then ask."  
  
Chase paused as if unsure of whether or not to go on. She took a deep breath. "Are you building a Gundam?" she asked in a rush.  
  
Trowa's eyes widened in shock. They then hardened, once again returning to the soldier that had betrayed his comrades. "Of course you would think of that, Chase. It was your computer after all. Are you worried for the safety of this world? What would you do if I were secretly building a Gundam somewhere here?"  
  
"You can't! Victor would have the greatest power known to this time if you did!" Chase responded eyes wide in horror, as she grasped his shirt and shook him slightly.  
  
"Who says Victor would ever get a hold of it? There is a bigger picture."  
  
"Blast it, Trowa! I don't care about the big picture! You are playing around with time and other things that humans have no right to use for war!"  
  
"But you did."  
  
Chase avoided his eyes. "That was different. We never came to you by choice."  
  
"How did you come, Chase? And why did you stay?"  
  
"We came... We came because Dr. J brought us. We thought of it as an adventure when we came. We were young..." She paused. "We stayed... We stayed because we wanted to make your world better in some small way. That and we learned to love while we were there. We were brought not by our choice, but we stayed by our own wills."  
  
"And why is that not using the time travel for war? You fought. You fight."  
  
"We didn't bring something from your future into your world so that we could defeat you!"  
  
"It will all be over soon, Chase," Trowa said quietly. "For now, all you need to know is that your world will someday be safe. Yours and mine. Somehow."  
  
The door slid open and a young soldier stood. "Commander Barton?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"The prisoner that was taken last night has escaped."  
  
"Very well. I'll see to it." He then turned back to Chase. "An old friend of yours, I think. Blue hair and a sword. Ryuujin was quite a handful to take down."  
  
"Ryu?"  
  
"Hai. Now it appears I must go handle the small matter. Ja ne."  
  
When the door closed, Chase slammed her fist against it. "BAKA!"  
  
Cavel and Anna made their way back to their apartment. As soon as they were inside, Anna told him to turn the TV on.  
  
"Why?" he asked, switching it on.  
  
"Because there should be some late breaking news." Anna replied. "And hopefully it will be good."  
  
Cavel flipped channels until he landed on the news station. It was on a commercial break. While they waited, he turned to her. "You're her, aren't you?"  
  
Anna looked up at him. "Her? There are lots of hers, junior."  
  
"You're the girl. Anna Maxwell." He said.  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Why do you say that?"  
  
He ducked his head a little. "You sound like her. You act like her, to me at least. And only two other people have ever used nicknames for me. My older sister and Anna Maxwell."  
  
"What happened to your older sister? And your family?" Anna asked, avoiding the original question.  
  
He bit his lip before answering. "She, my younger brother, and my parents were killed."  
  
"How?"  
  
"Three years ago, before OWN was internationally established and recognized, they did secret attacks. They never claimed responsibility. But, they attacked a village. My village, the place I grew up. My family was killed." He said softly.  
  
"Where were you?" Anna asked. She was fairly sure she already knew the answer.  
  
"I was in training. At OWN headquarters."  
  
That's what she was afraid she'd hear. Anna slipped an arm over his shoulders and hugged him. "I'm sorry, Sparky." She whispered. "I know what it's like to loose someone you love so young."  
  
He smiled sadly, tears forming in his brown eyes. "If they had waited a year, even nine months, my brother would have been with me."  
  
"Some things turn out the way they do because God designed it that way. Some things turn out the way they do because man can't handle the fact that there's someone with a will for their lives and they mess things up. Maybe your family died so you would have a reason to fight, and to keep on living. Something to stand up for." Anna offered. She kissed the top of his head. "And some things were just never meant to be understood."  
  
He nodded, sniffed, and wiped a sleeve across his eyes. "I guess so. It's back on."  
  
Anna looked up, and turned the volume up as well. The newscaster's voice filled the apartment.  
  
"And in other news today, there was an escape from OWN's prisoners. There is no word on how he managed to get through all the guards, or take another prisoner out with him." A picture of Ryuujin appeared on the screen. "He is said to be armed only with a sword, however, he is to be considered extremely dangerous. If you have any information please call the number on your screen. In sports today..." Cavel muted it.  
  
"So what does that mean?" he asked.  
  
Anna leaned back in the couch and bit the nail on her thumb. "I don't know. Which prisoner?" she growled.  
  
"It makes a difference?"  
  
"Yes!" Anna exclaimed. The phone rang, cutting off Cavel's next question. Anna reached over and grabbed it. "What?" she asked with irritation. "Oh, Victor."  
  
On the other end of the line, Victor grinned sardonically. "Didn't expect hear from me so soon, did you?"  
  
"Not really." Anna muttered.  
  
Victor's smile broadened, then he frowned just as quickly. "I'm sure you've heard of the break out."  
  
"Yes. It seems you go through prisoners about as fast as I go through shampoo." Anna remarked.  
  
"Do you use much shampoo, Ms. Mei?"  
  
"Quite a bit."  
  
"Then you'd be correct. And it is not pleasing me, or my superiors."  
  
"Which prisoner did he take with him?" Anna asked.  
  
"Not surprisingly enough, Ms. Yuy. A note was found on the floor of Mr. Ryuujin's cell informing him that she was in fact on the premises." Victor said.  
  
"Your tone would imply that I know something about that. I'm sorry to say that I do not." She said flatly.  
  
"Of course not, Ms. Mei. But I fear that possibly Mr. Barton did, then. It seems to me that past relationships are indeed influencing his current thinking."  
  
Anna straightened her spine and sat forward. "Why are you telling me this?"  
  
"Because I have made a decision and therefore you have your first assignment. It was unexpected to me, and so I will pay you fifteen million extra to do it."  
  
"Fifteen million..." Anna repeated in a whisper.  
  
"Yes. I'm evil, Ms. Mei, not cheap. I paid you one million simply to hire you. You will be paid for each individual assassination individually."  
  
Anna resisted the urge to shiver. "I see."  
  
"This is more of a punishment for Mr. Barton than a security measure, you see."  
  
Something clicked inside Anna's brain. "You're going to have me kill him?" she murmured.  
  
Victor's voice sounded surprised coming over the line. "Oh, no, Ms. Mei. You really don't think after the game we had today I'd go and ruin it like that?"  
  
"Let me tell you something, Victor, you're about as predictable my old junker car. You aren't. I don't know what you'd have me do." Anna snapped.  
  
He laughed. "Fair enough. No, you aren't going to be killing him any time soon."  
  
Anna groaned in frustration. "Then what do you want?"  
  
Victor chuckled. "Not Mr. Barton no. A close friend of his."  
  
"What?" she asked. Realization hit her like a ton of bricks. He voiced what she was thinking.  
  
"I want you to assassinate Quatre Winner."  
  
"Quatre Winner?" she choked out.  
  
"Um-hum. You have a problem with this?"  
  
You have a cover to keep. "No. But riddle me this, you have him, why don't you do it yourself?"  
  
"It's all in the game, Ms. Mei. Tomorrow morning at dawn I'm releasing him into the city. I want him dead by nightfall."  
  
Anna closed her eyes. "I'll take care of it."  
  
"I'm sure you will. Who knows what I'll do if you fail." Victor hung up on her.  
  
Anna hung the phone up. "Aw, crap."  
  
"What's the matter?"  
  
"I'm an idiot for thinking I could pull this off."  
  
"Pull what off."  
  
"I should have just stayed with Wufei."  
  
"Wufei as in Wufei Chang?"  
  
"What am I going to do now? It's not like I can kill him."  
  
"Kill who?"  
  
"I am such an idiot..."  
  
"WOULD YOU PLEASE EXPLAIN THIS?" Cavel shouted.  
  
She blinked and looked over at him. "Oh. Sure. You were right, I'm Anna Maxwell, and I'm in a whole lot of trouble."  
  
Meg heaved a huge sigh, drank a giant gulp of coffee, and sat down behind her friend's desk. She'd already gone through the bedrooms, and still not a clue as to where she could find Wufei Chang. She'd tried every phone number she'd found so far, to no avail. There was another thing that was bothering her. She didn't know who had kidnapped her, why, or who the girl was that had set her free.  
  
The coroner rifled through different manuscripts, and picked up stray pieces of paper that littered the floor. Apparently she hadn't been the only one here looking for something.  
  
She grinned to herself as she scanned one of the papers. Anna was writing a story about their college days. About the time Meg had planted a body in her closet and other random acts of insanity. It hadn't been real, of course, but who would have known that in the dark?  
  
Meg turned the page over and was greeted with a series of numbers. "What's this?" The numbers didn't have any labeling. "Why not..." She picked up the phone. She dialed, and it rang for what seemed to be forever. Someone finally picked up.  
  
"Anna?" they asked hopefully.  
  
"Um, no. I'm Meg Collins. Who's this?"  
  
"Wufei Chang." He answered, sounding disappointed. Meg Collins. Where had he heard that name before? A flash of memory played across his mind. In the car with Anna, he'd looked in the glove compartment...Meg Collins was on the pink slip. She was the girl who'd been kidnapped. "You're the coroner." He said.  
  
Surprise clouded Meg's face. "Yes. I don't know you, but I have some questions about Anna."  
  
Wufei looked over to where Heero was sleeping. Odin was in the other room, planning an escape for Chase. Wufei had questions about Anna too. "Do you know where she is? And where are you?"  
  
"I was hoping you'd know where she was. I'm at her apartment in Chicago." Meg answered.  
  
That meant that at the moment, no one knew where the former Star pilot was. Wufei sighed. "How did you escape?"  
  
"A friend of Anna's broke me out. It was quite an experience." Meg said dryly.  
  
"A friend? What was this friend's name?"  
  
Meg groaned. She didn't remember all of it. "It was Hos...Hoshi? Hoshi Mei or something like that. I'm not to good with Japanese plus I was drugged at the time."  
  
"Hoshi Mei?" Wufei repeated with confusion.  
  
"It means dark star." Heero whispered.  
  
Wufei's glance shot in his direction. He nodded. "I see. What kind of questions did you have, Ms. Collins?"  
  
"It's about a baby." Meg said carefully. She didn't know who this man was exactly, but her friend had been close to him at one point.  
  
The color drained from Wufei's ivory face. "A baby?" he repeated. He didn't know if he could trust this girl. Anna had acted as if she was trustworthy.  
  
"A baby?" Heero asked. He was still waking up, but that was something he hadn't expected to hear. Wufei waved him off.  
  
"A baby. Could I meet you somewhere?" Meg asked.  
  
Wufei ran a hand through his hair. "Yes. I'll meet you in Chicago. You know Navy Pier?"  
  
"I know it well." Meg agreed.  
  
"I'll meet you there tomorrow morning at eight. At the feris wheel."  
  
"I'll be there." Meg said softly.  
  
Wufei hung up.  
  
"You're leaving?" Heero asked.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you know who this person is?"  
  
"I know that Anna trusts her. And that Anna rescued her from OWN." Wufei answered.  
  
"Anna did what?" Heero asked incredulously.  
  
Wufei shook his head. "I think Anna's infiltrated OWN."  
  
Heero groaned. "She must be at the headquarters then. Where they took Chase. They're going to get themselves killed."  
  
"Or try to win the war alone. This woman Meg Collins might be helpful." Wufei said.  
  
"What was that about a baby?"  
  
"I don't know. There's a possibility that she could know..." Wufei trailed off.  
  
Heero frowned at his friend. "Know what?"  
  
Wufei looked at him. "Ten years ago, when you and Duo were killed, Anna was expecting a baby."  
  
Heero paled slightly more than he all ready was. "Anna was going to have a baby?!"  
  
"Hai..."  
  
"Does Duo know this?"  
  
"No. Only she and I did... Do."  
  
Heero sunk down against the pillow. "My word," he muttered. "I hope Chase didn't pull something like that..." 


	26. A New Player in the Game- Ryuujin the Sw...

Chapter Twenty-six: A new player in the game - Ryuujin the swordsman  
  
(A/N: to explain what happened with Chase and the break out, I'm going to have to jump back, so this could get confusing. Be warned.)  
  
Chase sank to the ground, frustration taking over. Trowa would not see the end of this if Ryuujin met him. Ryuujin was strong. Stronger than any of them, if he had taken on the personality she expected.  
  
The door was all but thrown open and a tall man with spiky blue hair stepped in, wielding a sword. Chase looked up. "Ryu-kun..."  
  
His red eyes glared down at her and she rolled out of the reach of his sword. It had been a long time since she had had to bring him out of this state and she hoped her old tricks would still work.  
  
Chase jumped up high in the air, landing behind him. When he whirled around to face her, she kissed him. Ryuujin's eyes widened as they faded back to the reflective blue that they were suppose to be. Chase pulled away and smiled. "Long time no see, boyo."  
  
After the surprise wore off, Ryuujin returned her smile. "Alternate personality?"  
  
"Too much pepper on your food, I suppose," Chase answered.  
  
"Let's get out of here," the elder man said.  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure the guards would just love to get a hold of you right now."  
  
"I could still defeat them."  
  
"These are children, my friend. We're in a no kill zone, if at all possible."  
  
Ryuujin grumbled something and then nodded. "Hai, Chase-chan," he answered.  
  
"I need to get something, Ryu."  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"My computer. Trowa has it and it has the blue prints for the Gundams on it. If he uses that, we're all in trouble, no matter what time you're from."  
  
"How would he get the gundaniam to build it with?"  
  
"Trowa's resourceful. He'll find a way."  
  
Ten minutes or so later, Chase and Ryu rounded the corner and stepped into a room. The guards rushed past the room, shouting things in various languages as they rushed after what they thought to be their prey.  
  
Ryu placed a hand on the hilt of his sword as he looked after them. "I see what you mean about them being kids."  
  
"Hai..." Chase surveyed the room. It appeared to be someone's privet quarters. A small bed was over in the corner with a jacket laid across it. A computer on a desk was the only other thing in the room. On the desk were various pictures. "Look."  
  
Ryu looked at the pictures. "Gundam pilots."  
  
Indeed the pictures were of the various Gundam pilots. One of the pictures the young American could not forget if she had wanted to. It was of her, no older than sixteen, sitting cross-legged with Katherine Bloom aiming a knife towards her and smiling.  
  
"Trowa's room."  
  
"It has to be," Ryu answered. "Let's find your computer and get going. Nothing good will come of being here too long."  
  
Chase nodded her agreement as she began to search the room from top to bottom. When she looked under the pillow on the bed, that's when she found it. The blue covering was dirtied as if the computer had been used a great deal more than it had even during its time with its owner. The former pilot picked it up and cradled it close.  
  
"Isn't this yours as well?" Ryu asked, holding up a leather bag.  
  
Chase took it from his hands, holding it close as she had done the computer. "It's my bag," she whispered as she looked at the tattered leather bag. "My bag from ten years ago."  
  
"Does it have any of your old toys in it?"  
  
Chase opened the pouch and checked. "My bottomless arsenal," she whispered with a smirk. "Of course."  
  
Ryu nodded. "Let's get going. You have your laptop and your other belongings."  
  
Chase nodded as she slid the laptop into the bag and swung it over one shoulder. They rushed out the door and down the hall, turning at the end. They stopped halfway down when they heard a voice.  
  
"Stealing is wrong, Chase. You should know that."  
  
"Not when it's mine in the first place," she hissed to Trowa.  
  
He smirked, all of the thankfulness from the earlier saving gone from his eyes. Chase wasn't surprised. "But you gave that laptop to me."  
  
"To destroy."  
  
"And I did what I wished with it. I felt it had better purposes than destruction. Time travel, for instance."  
  
"Forget it, Trowa. Your game is over. The big picture has just been shattered."  
  
"The 'game' isn't mine. That belongs to Victor. And as to the big picture: it is yet to come, my friend."  
  
As he moved forward, Ryu unsheathed his sword. "Step back, Barton."  
  
"Ryuujin-san," Trowa said with a curt nod. "Yet an other of Chase's love interests. They seem to all come back into her life at once again."  
  
Ryu's glare bore into the green-eyed man. "Don't make me repeat myself."  
  
"It won't do you any good."  
  
"I'm sure Chase has no wish to see you die, but if you come at me, I will kill you."  
  
"Ryu-kun," Chase whispered. "Let's just go. Trowa can't stop both of us without his army of lackeys."  
  
The tall man nodded.  
  
"If you leave, Chase, Quatre stays here."  
  
"Blast you!"  
  
"You wouldn't find him anyway. He's far too well hidden."  
  
Chase's eyes burned with a dark, emerald fire and she made a lunge for him. Ryu caught her around her middle, holding her back. "Iie, Chase-chan," he said. "It's reckless to rush at him like that."  
  
The fire died and she no longer struggled against his unyielding grip. "Hai..."  
  
"We can always come back for Quatre later."  
  
"You will not leave," Trowa said simply as guards flooded the hallways.  
  
"Yes, Trowa-kun, we will," Chase answered as she pulled out the laptop and quickly hit the enter button, leaving for 2013, New York City, United States of America, Earth.  
  
Odin looked up from his empty gaze towards the television, where they had announced the pilot and the swordsman's escape, when he heard a knock at the hotel door.  
  
He stood and approached it carefully, feeling his gun in the inside pocket of his jacket. He cracked the door open and was met by the brown eyes of the former pilot of the Gundam Galaxy.  
  
"Elise! I heard you had escaped!" Odin said as he embraced her cheerfully.  
  
"Only with a great deal of help, old friend. Odin Lowe, this is Ryuujin. Ryuujin, this is Odin."  
  
The retired assassin looked at the swordsman carefully. He then extended his hand. "I believe I've heard the name before."  
  
"Hopefully good things," the blue-haired man answered with a smirk.  
  
"How's Heero? He's okay, right?" Chase asked quickly, interrupting them.  
  
"He's in there resting," Odin answered, pointing to the other room. "It would do him some good to see you."  
  
Chase nodded as she walked briskly to the other room.  
  
Ryuujin looked after her. "So, Lowe-san, please tell me what is going on..."  
  
Chase walked into the room and smiled. Heero lay peacefully on the bed, sound to sleep. She knelt down by the bed and lay her chin in the edge of it. "Heero-chan?" she called to him gently.  
  
His dark blue eyes fluttered open and he smiled. "Odin said Ryuujin had gotten you out."  
  
"Hai. Ryu-kun and I came strait here."  
  
"Arigatou."  
  
She smiled and nodded, taking his hand in her own. "How are you feeling, boyo?"  
  
"Better," he answered half truthfully. "I just need a couple more days rest. Then we can go help Anna."  
  
"Where is Anna?"  
  
Heero looked at her sharply. She didn't know. "Anna... We think Anna infiltrated OWN."  
  
Chase nearly fell strait back. "That girl... Oh stars..."  
  
"What girl?"  
  
"Victor was playing a 'game.' He told me to choose between a girl I didn't even know and Trowa. Who was going to die? I chose the girl... That girl was Anna-chan. What did I do? What did I almost do?"  
  
"Almost?"  
  
"She lived. They both lived. Trowa... I've tried everything. I even told him that if he came back we'd accept him. He wouldn't listen. He's so hell bent on his big picture."  
  
"I know," Heero said gently.  
  
"I swear that man is either going to come back to us or die like the traitor he is."  
  
"And you don't wish for the second one?" Heero knew the answer.  
  
"No."  
  
"We won't kill him then. Only if we have to for our own sakes."  
  
"The good of the many, ne?"  
  
"Hai. The good of the many."  
  
"Where's Wufei? I thought he was with you."  
  
"He went back to Chicago." Heero said.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He went to meet Meg Collins. She has information about Anna, he thinks."  
  
"Meg? How would Meg have information on Anna?"  
  
"Trowa kidnapped her, Anna set her loose. That's how we found out about her being near OWN."  
  
Chase raised an eyebrow. "Is there something you aren't telling me, boyo?"  
  
Heero closed his eyes. "Iie, Chase-chan, iie." 


	27. Trowa's Puzzle is Falling Apart

Chapter Twenty-seven: Trowa's Puzzle is Falling Apart   
  
Jack Avis pushed his way through the throng of dismissing soldiers. Whatever they'd all been doing in halls had apparently failed. He spotted the man he was looking for leaning against the wall. Trowa looked like he was ready to turn around and begin banging his head against it at any given moment.  
  
"Trowa? What's going on?" There was no one around, so Jack decided to be informal.  
  
Trowa forced a smile at the younger man. "I'm a fool. A sheep in wolf's clothing."  
  
"Why do you say that?"  
  
"She had the laptop. I practically gave her a way out."  
  
Jack shrugged. "Maybe it's better that way. She can take care of herself."  
  
"I know she can. But she doesn't know what she'll be up against."  
  
"Oh, and you do, huh? I think Victor has so many wild cards up his sleeve he could do almost anything." Jack said. "Things that neither one of us know about."  
  
"I'm sure your right, my friend. I'm sure your right."  
  
Jack smirked. "You want to hear a funny story?"  
  
Trowa raised an eyebrow. "Sure. Why not?"  
  
"That lady assassin that Victor hired is about as double edged as you are." Jack said.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You heard me. She *did* break the coroner out, and she helped with the escape of Ryuujin the swordmaster."  
  
Trowa's brain flew into overdrive. "She helped them escape...That's why she covered me..."  
  
Jack frowned. "Covered you?"  
  
Trowa looked over at him. "Yeah. Victor played a little game that involved guns. Luckily she had one because he told me to come unarmed."  
  
Jack's jaw dropped. "You can't be serious! This guy is out of his mind!"  
  
Trowa waved at him to be quieter. "I know that. But there's nothing we can do at the moment. There's no point in going after Chase again. It would be complete suicide now that they have Ryu. All we can do is protect Quatre."  
  
"About Quatre..."  
  
"Jack..."  
  
"He's gone."  
  
Trowa closed his eyes and clenched his hands several times. "What do you mean gone?"  
  
"He's still here somewhere, but Victor had him moved. I've been searching the whole place and I can't find him. Victor's up to something."  
  
Trowa uttered a curse under his breath. "If she has anything to do with this," he muttered.  
  
Jack shook his head. "I don't know. I'll keep looking. But if Victor wants to play..." he let the statement trail off.  
  
"I know. He'll play to the very end." Trowa reached out and squeezed his friend's shoulder. "I need you to do something for me."  
  
"Name it." Jack said instantly.  
  
Trowa handed him a piece of paper. "This is Hoshimawari Mei's address. Watch it. I want to know when she's awake, when she's asleep, what she eats, and when she cleans her guns. Don't let her leave without my knowledge. Will you do that for me?" he asked.  
  
"Sure thing. Don't worry my friend. It will work out for you, it always did in the past." Jack saluted him, and vanished to do his assignment.  
  
"Be careful, Jack. I have a feeling this is all going to backfire on me. And soon." Trowa whispered into the empty hall.  
  
"That is bad." Cavel agreed, after Anna had finished her story. So he would believe her, she had used the laptop to return to her original appearance. He watched her pace the living room.  
  
"We have two options available to us. We act tonight and kidnap him, or we wait until Victor releases him tomorrow." Anna said.  
  
"If we wait Victor will want a body." Cavel said gently.  
  
"If we don't wait Victor will get suspicious. His prisoners didn't start disappearing until I showed up."  
  
"If we wait we can send him back with your laptop."  
  
"If we don't wait Victor could catch us."  
  
"If we wait we may not be able to find him."  
  
"If we don't wait we may not be able to find him."  
  
Cavel and Anna looked at each other. "Let's wait." They said together.  
  
Anna nodded and rubbed her hands together nervously. "We can set it up as a car explosion which would explain no body."  
  
"How do we know he'll get in a car?"  
  
"He has too. Quatre's not stupid enough to think they're letting him go out of the goodness of their hearts. He'll go directly to the airport and head for Preventer Headquarters. He'll go there because he can't get back to the past."  
  
"If he could get back to the past, would he go there?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Yes. Heero, Chase, Wufei, and Duo are there. The sooner the six of us re-unite the better." Anna said. A thought hit her. "Duo. They thought he was a traitor..."  
  
"Duo Maxwell?"  
  
"The one and only."  
  
"You believe it."  
  
Anna ran a hand through her hair. "I'm not sure what I believe right now. It's all so confusing." They heard a crash outside.  
  
Jack mumbled something under his breath and rubbed his shin. He hadn't seen that trash can there. Inside, Anna took the laptop and disappeared into the bedroom. When she returned, she once again had the appearance of Hoshimawari Mei. "I don't like the sound of that." She said.  
  
"It's probably cats." Cavel said, stifling a yawn.  
  
"When you're an assassin, cats can be deadly. In this case you're probably right. Go get some sleep, Sparky. I'll be planning."  
  
"Okay. Night, Anna-san."  
  
"Night, Cavel-kun."  
  
At eight the next morning, Meg was waiting on the pier. She pulled her jacket closer around her to protect her from the wind. She'd brought the journal entry, and the picture of the seven. She'd gotten there early just in case he did. She didn't want to miss him. Something was going on and Meg was determined to be a part of it.  
  
Wufei had just arrived and spotted the girl. He walked close to the water with silent steps. He was almost surprised she was there. Navy Pier wasn't open yet so there was no one else around. If they were caught they would more than likely be arrested.  
  
Meg heard someone moving behind her but did not turn around.  
  
"Good morning." Wufei said quietly.  
  
She looked behind her. Sure enough, it was the Chinese man from the picture. "Good morning. Not a very busy day so far, is it?"  
  
"Most people avoid trespassing." Wufei replied. "So you're her."  
  
"Yes. I'm Meg Collins. And you're him."  
  
"Wufei Chang. Hajimemashite."  
  
"Nice to meet you too."  
  
"How did you know about the boy?" Wufei asked. "Did she tell you?"  
  
Meg shook her head as he came to stand next to her. "No, she never mentioned anything about having a son. I didn't even know she'd been married until Duo showed up at the hospital several days ago to get her."  
  
"Then how?" Wufei asked.  
  
Meg pulled the journal entry out of her pocket and handed it to him. "I found this."  
  
Wufei scanned down the page, eyes widening; then he smiled. "I'd almost forgotten."  
  
"One of my questions was this. What happened to him? Was it a miscarriage? Did she give him away?"  
  
Wufei shook his head. "Not exactly. Well, I guess she did, in a sense." He sighed. "This is hard to explain. Anna wouldn't ever willingly give her own child away. But when Duo and Heero died, she was faced with a situation that made her choose between her son and someone else."  
  
Meg raised an eyebrow. "I don't understand."  
  
"I'll put it this way. You realize that I'm from the future, right?"  
  
"Yes, that's what I assumed."  
  
"And you realize that my friends and enemies are from the future, too, right?"  
  
"Yeah. Barton, or whatever his name is." Meg agreed. "The evil one. He's good looking though."  
  
Wufei gave a short laugh. "I never noticed. Anyway, when they were supposedly killed, Quatre, Trowa, and myself thought it would be best if the girls went home. Here."  
  
Meg blinked. "So you sent them back to the past. Like a Michael J. Fox movie."  
  
He laughed again. "Yeah. But we wound up sending them back before any of it had happened. The war, the marriages..."  
  
"So the baby ceased to exist."  
  
"Correct."  
  
Meg nodded sadly. "My second question. Don't kill me for asking this, okay?"  
  
Wufei looked confused, but nodded.  
  
Meg paused and rubbed her hands together. "Whose baby was it?" she blurted out.  
  
Mild confusion became complete loss. "Eh?"  
  
Meg groaned and rolled her eyes. "English, Wufei, English. Anna's baby. Whose was it?"  
  
"Anna's." Wufei said, still not grasping the question.  
  
"In a word: Duh. The other half of the equation."  
  
Wufei glanced down at the letter in his hand. "I see. No, the child wasn't mine. You obviously don't read Japanese. It was Duo's. Surely you think more of your friend than that."  
  
Meg gave him a pointed look. "I've been kidnapped into the future, found out a good friend of mine not only had a husband but a child at one point, and that the world is going to be taken over by nuts from the future. I'm trying not to think more about anything."  
  
Wufei smiled. "I see. Do you know where this Hoshi Mei is?"  
  
The doctor thought for a moment. "No, I can't say that I do. I do know that she was with a young man. He was just watching, he didn't help her."  
  
The oriental man frowned. "She must still be around there somewhere."  
  
"This Hoshi Mei person is Anna, isn't it?"  
  
"Yes. I'm going after her."  
  
"Can I go?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
Meg stuck her lower lip out. Wufei nearly sweat-dropped.  
  
"No, Miss Collins, you can't come with me. There is something you could do for us though."  
  
Meg grinned. "What?"  
  
"Go back to Chase and Anna's apartment. Wait for her. She'll come back there. If she comes back alone, call me at the same number you did before."  
  
Meg nodded slowly. "Are the good guys going to win?"  
  
"We're sure going to try."  
  
Chase entered the room with caution. The lights were out and she wasn't sure where she was. "Ore wa yume*?"  
  
"Ananta negai*," a voice said from somewhere in the room. The lights came on with a flash and the former pilot of the Gundam Galaxy shielded her eyes. "Dare*?" She opened her eyes to see Victor standing by the still body of Trowa Barton. "Trowa-kun! Iie! Masaka*!"  
  
Chase ran towards him, eyes filled with tears. She blinked and her surroundings changed. She found herself suspended in nothingness. Her emerald eyes looked out for anything. "Doko watashi wa*?"  
  
Glass mirrors appeared around her and she looked into then. Images of her friends seemed to reflect out at her. Heero, Anna, Trowa, Ryuujin, Quatre, Duo, Wufei, and even Hikari. Chase looked closer at the glass images and saw the earth appear behind them. Then she saw a thin crack appear in it. "Nani de suka?*"  
  
Suddenly, the glass shattered into millions of tiny shards. Chase screamed.  
  
Chase Yuy sat strait up, breathing hard. Her mind raced to think of what the dream had been. Yet, when she remembered, she wished she hadn't.  
  
"Chase-chan?"  
  
The small girl looked to see Heero sitting up next to her. Her mind finally came to the conclusion that she must have fallen asleep while watching over her injured husband.  
  
The sound of the door opening made the two look towards it. Ryuujin and Odin came in quickly. "We heard you scream, Chase-chan," Ryu said quickly.  
  
"Daijoubu ka, Elise?"  
  
Chase took an unsteady breath. "Hai... Just a strange dream."  
  
"What kind of dream?" Heero asked.  
  
"Not one that you should worry about. I'm just emotionally stressed out. Nothing to worry about."  
  
Heero looked at her oddly. "All right, Chase."  
  
(A/N: Yes, I know I wrote near to nothing, but I wanted to get that in and finish the chapter up with something strange. Weird dreams... Also, it was kinda strange, but Chase dreamed in Japanese. Did ya ketch that? She's reverting more and more back into her old self.  
  
Translations:  
  
*Is it a dream?  
  
*You wish.  
  
*Trowa! No! It can't be!  
  
*Where am I?  
  
*What is it?  
  
And those are the translations. Partially for the readers on ff.net that don't know what it means (I know I hate it when people write stuff in other languages and don't put up translations and I'm left in the dark... _) and also for Rhett. ^_^ 


	28. If You Take the Bull by the Horns, Be Pr...

Chapter Twenty-eight: If You Take the Bull by the Horns, Be Prepared to Get Jabbed  
  
"Why can't we find him?" Anna exclaimed in frustration. "This is ridiculous."  
  
Cavel brushed his bangs out of his eyes. "I don't know. He was released at dawn, it's nine now."  
  
Anna sighed and leaned against the side of a building. People hurried around them shouting and talking in various languages, though mostly German. OWN headquarters was situated in its castle in a wooded area forty minutes from the city. Victor had released Quatre at dawn into the city as he said he would. Anna and Cavel had been looking for him since.  
  
"Quatre's a trained gundam pilot. He's as good as hiding as anyone of us, probably better. The problem is he's injured. That means he can't cover as much ground as fast." Anna mumbled, half talking to her companion, half-talking to herself.  
  
"You said he'd head to the airport." Cavel suggested.  
  
"I know. But then I thought of something else. He didn't know that Chase had escaped with Ryuujin. Quatre's one of the most loyal guys I know. If he thinks she's there, he'll go back for her."  
  
"So we should check headquarters."  
  
"No. He wouldn't go back right away. He knows he's being hunted. He'll wait until he thinks it's clear. So he's got to be hiding out somewhere in the city." Anna said.  
  
"Well you know him better. Think. Where would he go?"  
  
Anna thought for a minute. She snapped her fingers. "You took leave here when you were training, didn't you?"  
  
Cavel nodded. "It's the only city close enough with the time we had."  
  
"Do you know of any tea shops? Or an shops that sell coffee but carry tea as well?"  
  
"Sure. There are about four of them. The least busy is about four blocks from here, the most busy is right around the corner."  
  
"Let's check the most busy first." Anna said.  
  
Cavel nodded and took off down the street at an easy canter. Anna followed behind at a slower pace, keeping her eyes open. There was a lot about this situation she and Cavel didn't like. The one thing that was bothering her the most was the fact that she didn't know if Victor had men watching her. If he did, they were going to have a hard time getting all of them out alive.  
  
From across the street, Jack Avis watched them head around the corner. He too had been on the lookout for any other of Victor's men, but there were none so far. He didn't know what they were up to, however; he trusted Cavel. He followed them.  
  
Cavel stopped in front of the store next to the coffee shop and waited for Anna to catch up with him. They then stood side by side and looked at each other.  
  
"Go around the back. He may run for it if he's in there. I'll go in and take a look." Anna said.  
  
"How will he know you're the one?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Trust me. He'll know."  
  
Cavel nodded and disappeared around the back of the building. Anna gave one last look around, frowned at a young man coming around the corner, and entered the shop.  
  
Jack balked as the dark haired girl turned and frowned at him. Luckily he wasn't in uniform so she didn't recognize him. He stood by the bay window looking into the shop and waited for something to happen. It didn't take long.  
  
Anna moved to the side of the door and scanned the crowd of people inside. The atmosphere was laid back and the lighting held an ambiance that made it hard to see all of the patrons. People moved around her as they made their way toward the check out. She was about to give up and meet Cavel outside when a flash of gold caught her eye. It was a head of golden hair moving slightly in the back of the seating area. People moved out of the way and Quatre came into full view. He was seated in the back nursing a cup of something or other.  
  
Anna let a grin spread across her face. That was almost too easy, but thankfully her empathetic friend was mostly predictable. She stealthily moved towards him because she was aware her appearance would throw him off. Unfortunately he looked up and caught her eye. He mistook her grin for a leer and stood up quickly. She tried to dissuade him from running with a small shake of her head but the blonde man stumbled back a few steps and made a dash for the back exit.  
  
"Shimatta." Anna muttered, taking off after him. "Cavel! Catch him!" she shouted.  
  
The calamity threw the customers into confusion as people stood thinking they were under attack. Jack entered the store and attempted to shove his way to the back.  
  
Anna had made it out and Cavel was running down the street after Quatre. She took note of the direction they turned and she hopped over two back fences and waited in an alley. As she expected, Quatre dashed by a moment later and she snagged his arm, dragging him into the alley.  
  
Quatre let out a strangled yelp and swung back at his assailant. He narrowly missed hitting Anna in the nose. Cavel came panting around the corner and watched them with amusement. Anna was trying to restrain the man without hurting him, and Quatre was trying to fight for his life. At a moment of bad attention for Anna, he jabbed an elbow into her stomach.  
  
"Itai! Quatre-kun, knock it off! It's me, for pity's sake. Quatre!"  
  
"Let me go! You won't get away with this!" he snapped back.  
  
"Cavel, now would be nice!" Anna wheezed. To avoid being sharply attacked again, Anna pulled Quatre's arms behind his back and pinned him against the wall. She cringed at his slight whimper.  
  
Cavel simply shook his head and opened the laptop he was carrying. He hit the enter button, and Hoshimawari Mei was replaced with Anna Maxwell.  
  
"I am so incredibly sorry, Quatre." She said softly. "Daijobu desu ka?" she asked, releasing him carefully.  
  
He slowly turned around and stared at her. "Anna...Anna-chan?"  
  
"Hai, Quatre-kun."  
  
A sigh of relief escaped his body. "Doko?" he murmured.  
  
"I've been here there and everywhere, my friend." She replied. She pulled him into a gentle hug. "It's good to see you all right."  
  
"You too." He pulled away and smiled. He thought of something and frowned. "Anna, you have to get away from here. There's someone out to kill me. I think they're from Trowa."  
  
"I know. I heard." Anna said.  
  
"I thought you were the assassin when I saw you in the coffee shop. I don't know who's after me, anymore. Who's he?" he asked, indicating Cavel.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, where did my manners go? Quatre, this is Sparky a.k.a. Cavel. Sparky, this is Quatre Raberba Winner."  
  
Cavel shook Quatre's hand. "It's nice to meet you on friendly ground, Mr. Winner."  
  
Quatre nodded and looked back at Anna. "He's on our side now?"  
  
"Yes. Sparky here's done me proud." She grinned. "And I know who the assassin is."  
  
Quatre looked surprised. "Dare?"  
  
Anna's smile widened. "Viola."  
  
The blonde man gaped at her. "You? But how?"  
  
"The girl you saw me as before works for Victor quite conveniently as an assassin. He gave this job to me. And I plan to finish it. As long as we all come out alive."  
  
"Good thinking. How are we going to do it?"  
  
Cavel pointed at the taxi across the street. "We're going to liberate that cab. We're going to drive a little ways out of the city. Then when I hit this button on the laptop boom! The car goes up in smoke but we're safely in Chicago."  
  
"You're going with me?"  
  
"I want him too, Quatre. He can protect you. I -uh- checked my messages so to speak and it's safe back in Chicago. Trowa's cleared out so you can go back to my apartment and wait for me there. I'm going to go back to Victor, show him pictures of the explosion, collect my millions, and make Hoshimawari Mei disappear."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Be careful, Anna-chan. Trowa's not who he used to be."  
  
"I know. I saw what happened."  
  
Quatre looked at his feet. "I didn't have a choice. I thought I could reach him," he said miserably.  
  
Anna rubbed his un-injured arm. "You did what anyone would do. We need to get going."  
  
Cavel and Quatre gave their agreement. Cavel changed Anna back into Hoshimawari Mei for what they hoped to be the last time. Cavel tucked the laptop under his arm, saluted her, and got in the cab. Quatre waited sixty seconds, hugged Anna quickly, before getting in the cab as well. She watched them drive away before pulling her video camera out of the bag she carried.  
  
Anna stepped out onto the sidewalk and did a zoom close up of the cab driving off down the street. Jack appeared on the street behind her, out of breath. He'd lost them when they went in the alley. He watched with some confusion as she taped the car. A clear in traffic came after a light.  
  
The car exploded into a million pieces, raining fire and bits of metal from the sky.  
  
Jack gasped in shock. He'd failed his mission from his closest friend. Anna taped the scene a moment longer for effect. She hailed a cab of her own and headed in the direction of OWN headquarters. Jack stood on the sidewalk, dumbfounded. Quatre Winner was dead.  
  
Trowa entered Victor's office cautiously. He wasn't especially eager to repeat the situation that had gone down the last time he was called in. The banged man shut the door behind him and fought down a sigh of relief. Victor was seated in his red leather chair, facing the window behind his desk.  
  
"You wanted to see me, General?"  
  
Victor swiveled around in his chair and smiled politely. "Yes. Do have a seat, Commander."  
  
Trowa did so and waited for Victor to continue.  
  
"You remember the man we hired to take the place of Duo Maxwell." Victor said.  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I no longer have a need for him."  
  
"You've fired him."  
  
Victor's smile turned tight. "Not exactly. I sent him to the Chicago of 2013. I want you to go there as well. Exterminate him."  
  
"Are you sure, General?" Trowa asked quietly.  
  
"Positive. If he tells them anything we are ruined. Kill him. And do it by tonight."  
  
Trowa stood. "Yes, Sir."  
  
Victor looked up as Trowa left. "I'm afraid I never understood friendship, Commander Barton. I never grasped the concept of loving someone more than your-self and the willingness to sacrifice. It always seemed foolish to me."  
  
"You do not know how much you missed, General." Trowa replied.  
  
Victor's smile returned. "Perhaps. But I know I missed the pain of loss. Good day, Commander Barton."  
  
Trowa sighed as the door clicked shut behind him. This was going to be the end for him. Once he killed the Duo impersonator, none of them would ever accept him back. He was going to have to resign himself to the fact that his days as a gundam pilot were over.  
  
Anna strode towards Victor's office. She was almost out of this hole she dug herself into. Just before she reached the door she spotted Trowa. An evil grin crossed her features. "Commander," she greeted in a low voice.  
  
He turned as if startled. "Ms. Mei."  
  
She walked up to him until she was practically under his nose. He didn't move away, and his facial expression didn't change. She gave a small laugh before reaching up and kissing him. He stood there, too shocked to move. She pulled away and the evil grin returned.  
  
"A consolation gift. Good day, Mr. Barton." She said darkly. Anna choked down a laugh as she disappeared inside Victor's office.  
  
Trowa looked after her and ran a finger over his lips. "Nani? Consolation?" he murmured. A cold rush ran down his spine. Jack. Jack had called that morning to tell him Hoshimawari Mei and Cavel had left. He'd sent Jack after them. They had killed Jack...  
  
Trowa tore down the hall to the stairwell. He took them down to the ground floor two at a time and slammed through the door into the lobby. And he slammed right into Jack Avis. The force of the hit threw Trowa back into the doorway and Jack to the floor. They stared at each other for a moment, and the other people in the lobby stared at them as well.  
  
"Jack?" Trowa asked with astonishment.  
  
Jack rubbed the back of his head. "I think so."  
  
Trowa reached a hand out and pulled the boy to his feet. "I thought you were dead, my friend."  
  
Jack raised an eyebrow. "What gave you that idea?"  
  
Trowa shook his head. "It's not important. Where's Cavel? I saw the girl."  
  
"I lost him. They split up. Listen, Trowa, I need to talk to you. I think I found out where-"  
  
A cadet rushed up to them and interrupted. "Commander! Lieutenant!"  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"One of the guns backfired during a training run. The boy who was at it is hurt pretty bad. We can't find the base doctor." The cadet panted.  
  
"It's not Dan, is it?" Jack asked.  
  
"No, Sir."  
  
"Can you take care of this, Lieutenant? I have a mission. We can talk when I return."  
  
Jack sucked in a breath. "Sure. I'll handle it. I'll be right there." The cadet nodded and dashed off. "Make it snappy, ne, Trowa? This is important."  
  
Trowa nodded. "I'll be back tonight. Take care, Jack."  
  
"You too, Trowa." Jack followed in the cadet's wake.  
  
Now all Trowa had to do was get the back up laptop out of his room and he'd be off to kill a double.  
  
Heero woke suddenly at the sound of the laptop beeping on the desk. He stood on shaking legs and walked to it, looking at the message.  
  
Chase,  
  
I'm back safely, but need your help. Come to Chicago.  
  
QRW  
  
The Japanese man snorted slightly. "I just got her back," he muttered. "I'm not sending her out again."  
  
He grabbed a small bag that was lying by the bed and started for the door.  
  
"Leaving?"  
  
Heero turned sharply to see Ryuujin leaning against the wall opposite him. The blue haired man looked at him questioningly.  
  
"Quatre needs help."  
  
"And you're in a condition to help him?"  
  
Heero turned. "I'm not sending Chase in there alone."  
  
"So you'll go alone?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Ryuujin sighed. "You really have no idea what it would do to Chase if you got yourself killed... again, do you?"  
  
Heero stopped suddenly. His dark blue eyes darted back to where the blue haired man stood. The younger Japanese man sighed deeply. "I know what it would do to her."  
  
"And apparently you told her that you would never hurt her like that again, ne?"  
  
Heero glared. "Chase talks too much."  
  
Ryuujin smirked. "You're just now figuring this out? C'mon."  
  
The smaller man cocked an eyebrow.  
  
"Well I'm not going to let you go out there alone, but that doesn't mean I'm going to make you tell Chase and let her go out there."  
  
"So what? You're coming with me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Chase is going to be angry."  
  
Ryuujin smirked as he stepped out of the door. "Then let's get there and get back before she has too much time to brood over it."  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chase woke up groggily and sat up on the couch. She noticed Odin looking at her oddly. "Nani de suka?"  
  
"They're gone."  
  
"EH?!"  
  
"Ryuujin and Heero have left for Chicago. About two hours ago. Heero just called to let me know."  
  
"Doshite?"  
  
"Heero said that he got an email from Quatre to go to Chicago and for us to just stay here. They'd be fine."  
  
Chase growled something under her breath as she stood and grabbed her coat off the chair and her bag and computer off of the desk. She started for the door.  
  
"Where are you going?" Odin demanded.  
  
"After them, where else? I'm not going to loose them." She reached for the door handle, but Odin grabbed her small wrist.  
  
"Let go, Odin."  
  
"Heero said to stay here. I trust that boy's judgment. You should too."  
  
Chase growled. "He's hurt. What if something happens? What if Ryuujin sneezes or something? They would have no way to turn him back to normal and I'd be miles away. I'm going after them." That said, Chase wrenched her wrist free and stormed out of the door.  
  
"Sneezing?" Odin asked as he watched her leave. "What the heck?" 


	29. Can This Be Called a Double Homicide?

Chapter Twenty-nine: Can This Be Called a Double Homicide?  
  
Anna sank back into the sofa cushions, brushing her temporary short bangs out of her eyes. She sipped her coffee as she opened her book and checked her watch. Cavel was going to stay with Quatre for two days before coming back. As soon as he did, Hoshimawari Mei was going to disappear for good and Anna was going to send the kid someplace safe. She should have felt safe and accomplished knowing that her double work was almost over, but there was an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was the same feeling she had the day Duo and Heero had been killed.  
  
"People just don't stay dead around us for some reason. Wonder how long our luck will actually last?" she mused out loud. She shook her head and went back to her Forester novel.  
  
Horatio Hornblower had just warned Edrington of the French's arrival when a sharp knock startled her out of her book. Anna sighed and put it on the table. She gave it a purposeful look as if to tell it not to go anywhere before heading towards her door.  
  
Anna looked out of the peephole and into the darkened hallway. There was nobody to be seen. She placed a hand on her magnum and cautiously pulled the door open. There was in fact no body in the hall that she could see; however, there was a box left on the floor. Anna frowned, glanced around, and carefully picked up the box. It wasn't ticking which was a good sign. Stepping back inside and locking the door she shook the box out of curiosity. It did not rattle.  
  
Now completely absorbed in the package, Anna sat back down on the couch, Forester temporarily abandoned. It was a long narrow box wrapped in dark green paper. There was a white envelope attached to the outside. Anna eagerly opened it and pulled out the card.  
  
Yori ryuu chishio e hoshi hokori.  
  
Anna sat back in bewilderment. "From dragon's blood to star dust?" she said. Something clicked inside her brain. "Wufei...he found me..." She quickly pulled the green paper off the box. "Why would he be giving me anything?"  
  
Underneath the paper was a plain brown box. Anna shook off the lid and pushed aside the tissue paper surrounding the item inside. At first she did not recognize what lay in the bottom of the box. She pulled it out and let out a strangled gasp. It was a Japanese fan and more importantly, it was her own fan.  
  
Wufei had repaired it. It had gleaming ivory sides and the spokes also were made of ivory. The paper between the spokes was a sturdy type and it could not be ripped. It was a pale off white color. Anna smiled and opened the fan. On the left side, a gleaming black dragon arched up and towards the middle. The black jewels glimmered in the lamplight and the jade jewels shone out as the eyes. The claws on the dragon were silver and one of the upper claws was curled down, but the other was outstretched towards the right side. Covering the right side of the fan were blue and purple jeweled stars.  
  
Anna fingered the delicate jewel work. It was fragile and sturdy all in the same construction. She had first gotten the fan before the war with Marimeia. It had become a very dangerous thing when she met Ryuujin and she had been forced to learn to control the impulse to hit people over the head with it. Besides that it had been her favorite hand to hand weapon.  
  
She tipped it towards her. Sure enough, there were covered holes in the top of the spokes. All it took was a sharp flick of her wrist and darts coated with a sleeping drug flew out of all of them and there were seven darts in each spoke. Anna ran her hand down to the base of the fan. Two more gems decorated the bottom part. However, if she remembered correctly, they also served a purpose. She pressed the ruby heart and metal shot out of the ivory ends, covering the fan within half a second. The same design was on the outside but the dragon was red with black eyes and the stars were black. She pressed the heart again and the shield retreated back into the ivory. She pressed the amethyst star and a dagger shot out of the bottom of the fan. Her lips curled upwards in a smile. She'd have to remember not to hold that close to her body when she did that. She pressed it again and the blade vanished inside the fan. She shut the fan and ran to the door.  
  
"Wufei? Wufei! Fei-chan!" she yelled. He was gone. Anna sighed. It was a gift and somehow she knew it was a peace offering. She just hoped she'd see him again. She went back inside to her thoughts and Forester.  
  
He was being followed. He'd first felt it an hour ago. That unsettling, ominous feeling that he was being followed for bad purposes. The man posing as Duo Maxwell stopped on the street corner and rubbed his hands together. It was not quite winter yet, but it was getting cold outside.  
  
Victor had sent him back to Chicago of 2013 to `observe.' Wait and watch he had said, and if the time is right make your move. The problem was, he didn't have a move. He had the feeling Victor knew that. So he decided to improvise. He would go back to the Maxwell/Yuy apartment and wait. And hope he survived the night.  
  
Trowa watched him as he crossed the street and tried to blend in with the crowd. He'd been following the man for at least forty minutes but had not been able to get him in a secluded area. Trowa had assumed that the Duo-double figured out he was being followed. Trowa was hoping he hadn't figured out by whom or for what reason.  
  
Preparing himself to make his move, Trowa crossed the street after him. He inched closer and closer through the sea of streaming people but always stayed out of his sight. He smiled to himself as the double continuously glanced over his shoulder. Without warning, the double disappeared inside a bookstore. Trowa stood by the window and waited.  
  
Duo dashed through the store breathing hard. He wasn't here to observe; he was here to be executed. He ran to the checkout desk and nearly fell into the cashier. "I need your phone, now!" he panted.  
  
The startled cashier nodded and handed him the line phone. "Dial eight to dial an outside line." He said.  
  
The double hit eight and quickly punched in the number to the Maxwell/Yuy apartment. It rang four times before somebody answered. It was a male voice.  
  
Anna's Sparky had picked up the phone in the kitchen. "Hello?" Cavel greeted.  
  
"Listen to me. There after me, he's going to murder me right here in the city." The double hissed.  
  
Sparky frowned. "Who is this?"  
  
"Duo Maxwell."  
  
Quatre sat at the kitchen table, looking at Cavel. The blonde gave him a questioning glance as the younger man's face took on a startled expression.  
  
"Who is after you?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Trowa Barton. He's going to kill me."  
  
"Trowa Barton?" he repeated to himself. Meg joined them in the kitchen.  
  
"Yes! He's here to kill me. He's been following me for at least thirty minutes and you've got to help me!"  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
He asked the frightened clerk what the address was and repeated it to Sparky.  
  
"I'll be right there. Stay calm, and don't go anywhere." Sparky said.  
  
"Fine, but hurry." The double hung up the phone. He glared at the clerk, which silenced the question on his lips.  
  
Cavel hung up the phone and faced Meg and Quatre. "Mr. Maxwell is in trouble. I'm going down there. Both of you stay here and I'll be back within the hour."  
  
"Someone should go with you, Cavel." Quatre said, standing.  
  
"No. The more people that get tangled up in this the worse it will be. Stay here with Miss Collins. I'll be back." He grabbed the laptop off the countertop and ran to the door.  
  
"Be careful, kid." Meg called after him.  
  
He nodded and was out the door in a flash.  
  
The double was standing between the horror and sci-fi watching the back of Trowa's head. All he had to do was wait, and his `comrades' would come for him. But Trowa wasn't going to wait around any longer. The double looked up, startled, as the bell over the door clattered. Trowa stepped in and automatically locked eyes with the man.  
  
"Your time." Trowa said quietly.  
  
The double snarled something at him and bolted for the back door, Trowa hot on his trail.  
  
Sparky ran down the street trying not to run into people. The address was not that far from where he had been, but he couldn't figure out why he hadn't gotten there. He muttered something under his breath and dodged down another street.  
  
Ryu and Heero stopped at the bottom of the stairs leading up to the second floor flat. The taller man had one hand under Heero's elbow to support him and Heero was staring up at the window.  
  
"You're sure this is it?" Ryu asked, keeping a constant look out for suspicious movements.  
  
"Hai." Heero murmured.  
  
"All right then. Fair warning, I am not carrying you up those steps." Ryu said, emphasizing not.  
  
"I wouldn't let you." Heero replied darkly. With seeming little effort, he shook the blue-eyed man's arm away and shot up the stairs at a brisk jog. With crossed arms, Ryu glared at him from the ground.  
  
"Show off." He said, following in the Japanese boy's wake.  
  
Heero leaned on the doorbell, which caused the device to go off four or five times before the door was opened slowly and the muzzle of a gun peered out.  
  
"Who's there?" Quatre asked.  
  
"Old friends." Heero said.  
  
The gun was withdrawn and Quatre opened the door. "Heero! How in the world did you get here?"  
  
Heero nodded over his shoulder. "I intercepted your message to Chase. I was planning on coming alone, but Ryuujin came with me. You remember him."  
  
Quatre smiled. "Of course. It's good to see you again. Come in."  
  
Heero and Ryu stepped in and Quatre shut the door behind them. Heero's eyes darted over to the coat rack near the door. There were three coats on it, one decidedly female.  
  
Heero's gaze locked on Quatre. "Who else is here?"  
  
"My name is Meg Collins. I'm a friend of Anna's." Meg introduced herself from across the room.  
  
Heero glanced up. "Ms. Collins."  
  
"Meg, this is Heero Yuy and Ryuujin." Quatre said. He frowned. "Heero, something's up with Duo. He called not five minutes ago saying he was in trouble. Cavel went to help him."  
  
"Who's he?" Heero asked.  
  
"A friend Anna made. He can be trusted."  
  
"Where are they?"  
  
Quatre gave him the address of the bookstore.  
  
Ryu had slipped upstairs during the conversation. He wasn't sure why, he was being led by a feeling. He made his way past the second floor and into the loft. Quatre's things were up there lying on the bed. He wasn't sure what was drawing him to it except flashes of images in the back of his mind. He picked up a blue book off the foot of the bed and skimmed through it. There were dates on the top of every page in Quatre's handwriting. It was a journal going all the way back to the first war. He suddenly knew what he was looking for. The date his only lead to his parents had been taken away from him.  
  
As he had thought, the date he was looking for was in there. The writing had changed, but it was still Quatre's. It was more of a desperate scrawl than a legible print. He heard the conversation coming to an end downstairs so he scanned down the page quickly. Quatre had recorded the whole day, from the first instant Zero had taken over the destruction of the colony. The lead to his parents had been on that colony. And now he knew why he had lost its signal, and why it hadn't been there when he arrived. Quatre Winner had destroyed it over twelve years ago. Ryu felt his blood boil in his veins. Before his anger could snap into control, he heard Heero's voice.  
  
"Ryu! Let's go!" Heero barked.  
  
Ryu set the book back down where he had found it. "We will meet again, my blonde friend. Count on it." He growled. He went downstairs to join the others.  
  
Heero was at the door. "Trowa's after Duo. We have to get there first. Let's move."  
  
"Right." He nodded at Meg and let his gaze fall on Quatre. The stare gave the younger boy an icy feeling.  
  
Heero was out the door and back down the steps and ignoring the pain before Ryu caught up to him in the parking lot of the complex.  
  
"Are we walking or driving?" Ryu asked.  
  
"We're doing neither. We're running. The address isn't that far from here, but we'd never get there in all traffic. It's that way." Heero took off.  
  
"He's going to kill himself." Ryu muttered. He followed.  
  
They got to the bookstore and Heero flung the door open, breathing hard. "Did a man with a braid and a man with long bangs just come in here?" he demanded.  
  
The frazzled cashier nodded. Ryu came in behind him and the clerk passed out. Heero looked at Ryu.  
  
"The sword. Gets them every time." Ryu shrugged.  
  
Heero shook his head and headed back into the night.  
  
Sparky was getting irritated. He would hear shouts and warnings that sounded like Trowa and Duo, but he could never get there fast enough to see them. They were constantly weaving through the night crowd.  
  
The double was fighting to stay in the crowd. He knew that Trowa would not shoot him if innocent people surrounded him. He just didn't know how long he could stay safely out of shooting range. If Trowa got one clear shot, he would take it. Up ahead the traffic was clearing out. People on the next block were far and few between. The double let out a curse, but there was nothing he could do. If he went into one of the stores, Trowa would catch him in the alley in the back. If he took to the rooftops his killer would have an even greater chance. His options were running slim. He smiled grimly. It was better to end it here, where the other gundam pilots were. If Trowa killed him now, the ex-Heavyarms pilot was doomed as well. And Trowa knew it.  
  
Heero stopped abruptly on a street corner, causing Ryu to crash into the back of him. Heero ignored it and picked something up from the ground. It was a gold chain with a broken clasp and cross hanging from it.  
  
"Duo." Heero said.  
  
"We're running out of time." Ryu said darkly. He could sense the battle about to begin, even though it only included two men. When he focused, he could always sense if there was bloodshed in the air.  
  
"Which way?" Heero asked with aggravation.  
  
Ryu's eyes darted quickly over the cement and people to get a feel for direction. "That way." He said, leading Heero up the sidewalk. Suddenly the blue-haired man stiffened before breaking out into a run.  
  
"Ryu!" Heero shouted. He ran after him, again ignoring the dull burning sensation in his side.  
  
Sparky was running as fast as he possibly could between people. He had seen Trowa, and was chasing glimpses of the man through the downtown of the city. They were getting into a neighborhood that was lacking in several things. It was namely lacking streetlights, windows without bars on them, and other people. If they moved much farther in the direction they were going, they might run into trouble other than themselves.  
  
The double knew it was over. He flung himself across the street and stopped by the light pole. They were no longer in the heart of the city so there weren't many other people or cars. Trowa stopped on the opposite side of the street and drew his weapon.  
  
"Under orders from General Victor of OWN, your services are hereby terminated." Trowa said flatly. He felt as if he may as well be shooting himself in the head. He, Victor, Jack, and the anesthesiologists were the only ones that knew the real Duo Maxwell was in Germany, year AC 209.  
  
Cavel half dashed around the final corner to see Trowa aiming his gun at Duo. He jerked himself back and flattened himself against the wall so he could watch without being seen. Terror shone in his eyes. He had no idea what to do.  
  
Heero and Ryu were running down the final blocks because they were close, and Heero could sense it as well as Ryu now. They did not have much time at all. A sharp pain ran through Heero's side and he grabbed for the wall to steady him. Ryu turned.  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"I'll be fine." Heero shoved himself off the wall. "We have to keep moving."  
  
"Do you need help?"  
  
"No."  
  
Trowa stood in his place; gun aimed at the double's heart. The double stood on the corner opposite from him, glaring at his soon to be murderer.  
  
"I helped you." He shouted.  
  
"We hired you. You did not deliver in a timely manner. It's over." Trowa replied automatically.  
  
"I can disappear. None of them know. Come on, Trowa. You aren't really going to do this, right, man?"  
  
"I have orders."  
  
"We were friends." The double said loudly.  
  
Trowa's eyes narrowed. This had gone too far already. He cocked his gun and lifted his aim. Ryu and Heero dodged into sight just as Trowa pulled the trigger.  
  
"Duo!" Heero screamed.  
  
The double was dead before he hit the ground.  
  
Time froze to a standstill as Heero's furious and anguished gaze locked with Trowa's warning one.  
  
"Heero..." he started.  
  
"Murderer. Traitor." Heero hissed.  
  
"It's not..."  
  
Heero ignored him and lunged forward, drawing his gun as he went. Trowa holstered his gun and took a half step back.  
  
"Gomen." He murmured and disappeared in a flash of white light.  
  
"Trowa! Come back, you back-stabbing traitor!" Heero shouted. "Kuso!"  
  
Ryu had knelt by the body. "Heero, he's not coming back."  
  
Heero turned around and for the first time looked at the body on the ground. The Japanese man bit his lip. "Not again." He murmured. He knelt by the body and pulled Duo's look-alike into his lap. He checked for a pulse and found none. He angrily brushed a stray tear off his face. "It's over for him." Heero whispered.  
  
Ryu shook his head. "What about Dr. J? He saved you both once before."  
  
"He died five years ago." Heero said.  
  
"You're sure?"  
  
"No. We'd never find him in time, even if he were." Heero replied, hardening his voice.  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
Heero shook his head. He gently laid the double back on the ground and put the cross on his chest. Heero reached out and brushed two fingers across the other's cheek. "Farewell, my friend. Tamadachi. I'll get him. I give you my word."  
  
Heero stood and Ryu moved to stand next to him.  
  
"What are you going to do?" Ryu asked.  
  
"Find Trowa." Heero answered. "Meg Collins is a coroner, ne?"  
  
Ryu nodded.  
  
"Call her. I want her to do the autopsy. We can't get him back to AC 209 without Chase and I'm not going to risk that. Meg may be the only medical person we can trust until we find Anna." He cringed at the name. "I should have never brought them into this..."  
  
"They would have found out anyway. It's too late to change what you did. But Trowa's ready and willing to kill. Anyone. You should go back to Chase and Odin. Leave Barton to me." The soldier said, a small grin forming at the last sentence.  
  
"No."  
  
"Heero, if you don't go back, Chase will track you down. If you don't let that heal, she'll track you down and if you aren't already dead she'll kill you."  
  
Heero glared at him. "Listen to me, Ryuujin, Trowa-"  
  
Ryu cut him off. "Trowa isn't the biggest link in this chain. If you get wrapped up in just going after him this organization of his will take over the world while you seethe. Focus, Yuy. You can't go off on a killing spree against Trowa Barton."  
  
Heero snarled out something in Japanese, which the taller man did not understand. "Call Meg." Heero growled and stalked off down the street, abandoning his loss to his anger.  
  
Ryu's eyes flashed. "You just leave Barton to me." He grinned. He pulled out the cell phone Heero had tossed to him and called Meg to report the death of one Duo Maxwell.  
  
Sparky had watched the entire ordeal, down to Heero Yuy stalking off the scene. He pressed himself against the wall, his eyes bright with panic. This was totally unexpected. Cavel knew that Trowa Barton had been dedicated to OWN, but he never imagined that he go so far as to kill one of his former teammates.  
  
Sparky knew that Trowa was going back to OWN headquarters. When he got there, he knew that Jack Avis would inform him of Quatre Raberba Winner's untimely death. Cavel shivered. This was suddenly turning into a very different game. He couldn't wait two days to go back. He couldn't wait any longer, period. Something had gone really wrong, and the only one he knew could figure it out was Trowa Barton's most likely next target. He pulled out the laptop and powered it up. Within seconds, the only people left on the street were the grinning Ryuujin, and the dead Duo double.  
  
Chase Yuy felt the warm, bright light fade around her as she was left in her own apartment in Chicago. She opened her eyes to see the slightly messy room she had used to work in. She growled something in Japanese. "This has gone too far, Trowa."  
  
The door clicked open and a gun was pointed at her face before she could even reach for her own. She nearly laughed when with joy when she saw Quatre. "Quatre-kun! You're okay!"  
  
"Chase?" The gun dropped as the two friends embraced. "You got away! I'm so glad to see that."  
  
"And I'm glad to see you well, my friend," Chase answered him as she stepped away. "I'm in a rush though. I have to find Heero."  
  
"He disappeared with Ryuujin looking for Duo and Cavel. Duo called a while ago saying that Trowa was trying to kill him and that he needed back up. I haven't heard from any of them since."  
  
The phone rang loudly and Chase grabbed it. "Moshi moshi?"  
  
"Chase?"  
  
"Ryu? What happened? Is everything okay?"  
  
"No, Chase-chan. Duo's dead."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"What is it, Chase?" Quatre asked.  
  
There was a pause as Chase listened to Ryuujin's location and then she looked at Quatre as she hung the phone up. "Duo's dead," she answered.  
  
Quatre turned pale as he sat down. "What are we going to do?"  
  
Chase growled several curses in Japanese as she turned around and left a whole in the wall from a well-placed kick. "I'm going to find Heero." That said, she stalked out of the flat. 


	30. The Assassin Meets the Swordsman

Chapter Thirty: The Assassin Meets the Swordsman  
  
Chase stormed down the street in blind rage. Her best friend's husband had just been killed for the second time. How was she going to take it? Not well, the smaller girl imagined. Not well at all. Though she might not get the pleasure of killing Trowa Barton. Chase had a feeling that if she met Trowa faced to face again, it would be his end, no matter what former relationship they had had. He was now a traitor. He had killed Duo.  
  
"Chase."  
  
Chase turned around, grabbing for her gun as she did so. Her light brown eyes met the reflective blue ones of the swordsman she had come back to the world with. "Ryu."  
  
Suddenly Chase rushed forward and embraced him. Ryuujin held her close as he heard her sob into his shirt. She looked up at him sadly. "I never thought he'd kill one of his own..."  
  
"The man is a traitor, Chase," Ryuujin said sternly. "It's best that you forget any feelings you had for him."  
  
"All ready done," Chase answered darkly. "He's a dead man walking as far as I am concerned."  
  
Ryuujin noticed the change of the young woman's tone. Just like the old days. Still the assassin girl he had met when he was seventeen.  
  
The blue-haired swordsman cupped the small woman's face in his hands and smiled. "Come on. Let's go back to the apartment."  
  
"We've got to find Heero. He's hurt and he..."  
  
"Is right here," a voice said from behind her.  
  
"Heero!" she backed away from Ryuujin's embrace, blushing a deep crimson.  
  
Heero just smirked. "You heard about Duo."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Is there any question in your mind about him now?"  
  
"Iie."  
  
Heero smiled sadly at her as he put a protective arm around her shoulder. "C'mon, Chase-chan. Let's go home for now. We'll take the traitor down soon enough."  
  
Chase nodded.  
  
As they walked along the sidewalk, Heero glared back at Ryuujin, telling himself that Chase was simply upset about her best friend's husband's death. The embrace had meant nothing, right?  
  
He looked down at Chase and her vacant brown eyes that were fixed on the pavement. It meant nothing, right?  
  
Chase sat curled up on the sofa with a hot mug of tea in her hands. The cold winter winds whipped outside as she looked out the window. The snow had begun to fall around fifteen minutes before. It had started in small flakes and had progressed in the last few minutes into a near blizzard.  
  
She looked up when she felt Heero's arms encircle her shoulders. "How are you doing, love?" he asked.  
  
"Better. I'm not sure if it's more how worried I am about Anna-chan or if it's mostly just the loss of a friend. Anna's like a sister to me, so that makes Duo like a brother." A sad look crossed her face as a single tear slipped down her cheeks that had turned rosy from the cold air. "How about you, Heero? Ryu-kun said that you saw the whole thing."  
  
"I'm fine," he answered distantly. "Chase, how did you and Ryuujin meet?"  
  
Chase blushed. She had known he had seen her embrace Ryuujin, but she wasn't sure what his reaction would be, if any. "I've told you, haven't I?"  
  
"I know I haven't heard it," Quatre said as he entered the room with a cup of coffee for Heero and a cup of tea for himself. "It might prove interesting."  
  
Chase looked back towards the room Ryuujin had disappeared into a few minutes before. "It's a long story."  
  
"We've got time," Heero persisted as he sat down with his coffee.  
  
Chase took a deep breath.  
  
"Ryuujin and I met when I was fifteen and he was seventeen. It was during the time when I disappeared for two months in the war. I was in a town in Japan, wandering, mostly, because I didn't have anywhere else to go. I couldn't go home. I'd be needed soon, and I wasn't sure if I could ever get back...  
  
*flashback *  
  
Chase walked along the streets, deep in thought. Her senses jumped to life as the aura of a soldier flooded them. She looked at the man she was passing, taking note of the sword that hung from his belt. `In broad day light?' she thought.  
  
He was tall, with blue hair and eyes. Her dark emerald eyes followed him until he disappeared into the crowd. She shrugged it off and continued on. There was no reason to go looking for trouble if it did not come her way.  
  
The young pilot found a room in a hotel down the street and settled in for the first good night's sleep she had had in a week. Or so she thought.  
  
When the clock struck midnight, she was awakened by the sound of gunshots outside her window. Her mind automatically came out of the fog of sleep as she leapt from her bed and over to the window, grabbing her gun as she went. Peering out, she saw the blue eyed man from before. He stood in the street, sword held in a protective stance between his opponent and himself, ready for the man to shoot again.  
  
Chase looked at the blue haired man's opponent. He was a smaller man than the other one. His sandy blond hair was pulled into a small ponytail in the back and his gun was cocked and ready. He wore the tattered uniform of a soldier from Rockafellor and the symbol of OZ on his left shoulder. The young Gundam pilot slipped on a sweatshirt and her shoes, rushing out towards them.  
  
The first one to notice her was the man with the sword. His eyes flickered toward her, as if warning her to stay back from the battle. Chase paid him no heed as she cocked her own gun. "An OZ soldier out here? I figured they wouldn't care about a little town like this."  
  
"And who are you?" the sandy haired man asked as he looked between her and his opponent. "What do you want?"  
  
Chase smirked. "For this war to be over and for the people of earth to live in peace," she answered. "But I doubt you really care, ne?"  
  
The man sent a shot off towards the swordsman to distract him as he rushed towards the green-eyed pilot. Chase jumped back, dodging the swinging fist. She dropped to the ground, leg swinging out and catching the man about the ankle and tripping him up. He fell with a thud to the ground and was up a half a second after Chase had reached her feet.  
  
She stopped as she found herself starring down the barrel of his gun. "Now this is an interesting predicament."  
  
"Who are you?"  
  
"Wouldn't you like to know, boyo?" Chase sneered.  
  
"Fine. Be that way, brat," the man said as he pulled the trigger.  
  
Chase dodged the bullet easily, but didn't see the knee that came up and caught her in the stomach. She skidded slightly across the pavement and coughed, landing on her rear, looking up. "Kuso," she muttered.  
  
The man smirked, but suddenly stopped as a sword sliced through him. Fear didn't have time to set in before he fell dead to the ground.  
  
"He should have kept his mind on his original opponent."  
  
Chase looked up to see the blue haired man. She blinked once and then he was gone. "What the heck?" she wondered out loud. Chase stood up and walked back to her hotel room, baffled by the young man she had encountered. She curled back up and slept the rest of the night without a trouble.  
  
Chase grabbed her bag and gun the next morning, leaving the hotel after checking out. She walked into the teashop and sat down. "Sleep depravation is never a good thing," she muttered. "Blasted OZ soldiers."  
  
She leaned back in her chair with her eyes closed, thinking. When she looked up she saw the man from the night before sitting with his eyes cast downward to the table. She lost her balance and fell backwards. "Itaii," she muttered as she picked herself up.  
  
"So who are you?" the swordsman asked.  
  
"Chase. You?"  
  
The man looked up and Chase got the first good look at his reflective blue eyes. They held her own for a moment and she blushed.  
  
"Ryuujin."  
  
Ryuujin leaned on the table and glanced to the side. "That OZ soldier was looking for someone last night when I found him. Now there are two more sitting over there, on the lookout for that same someone. Guess who I found in both of those places?"  
  
"Yourself?"  
  
"Cute. You."  
  
"Watashi?" Chase asked innocently. "Doshite watashi?" She leaned back in her chair again and took a sip of her tea.  
  
"Why are they after you?"  
  
"How should I know? Maybe I ticked them off at one time."  
  
Ryuujin glared. "They are looking for a pilot, is what they have been saying."  
  
"Good for them."  
  
"Look to your left."  
  
Chase did so and saw two uniformed men sitting and glancing at her every few moments. "Just great," she muttered under her breath. "I try to get away from the war and it follows me."  
  
"You're a Gundam pilot."  
  
"Question or statement?"  
  
"Statement."  
  
"Correct statement. It appears you've been entangled in my mess though," she said as she stood. "They've seen you with me twice. They'll think we're friends."  
  
Ryuujin looked at her as she placed enough money on the table for her drink and walked towards the door. He also watched the soldiers get up after her.  
  
One reached out and grabbed Chase's hand. "Hello there, 06. You've been avoiding us for a few days now. Maybe you are as good as your reputation."  
  
"Perhaps. Do you want to settle this away from innocent people?"  
  
"Now if we do that, I won't have the edge, now will I?"  
  
"But you will be dead," Ryuujin said from behind. "The girl's under my protection. Let her go."  
  
Chase felt her face heat up with anger. Protection indeed!  
  
"And as for you," Ryuujin continued, now speaking to the man coming up behind him, "please also leave this young lady alone. I wouldn't want to stir up trouble with the authorities, ne?"  
  
The first soldier felt the cold steel of Ryuujin's sword against his back. "Let's go."  
  
"But sir!"  
  
"I said let's go, Latinate."  
  
Chase and Ryuujin watched as the two soldiers disappeared out of the teashop and out of site. The petite girl turned towards the tall man. "I need no protection," she hissed. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."  
  
"Shouldn't we talk about this outside?"  
  
Chase looked back at the crowd who was staring oddly at them. "Hai," she whispered.  
  
They walked outside and back into an alley. She stopped and whirled to face him. "I don't need any help from you. I'm an assassin by profession, Ryuujin-san. I don't need a baby-sitter."  
  
Ryuujin reached out a gloved hand and cupped the young teen's cheek. The green-eyed girl felt her face heat up in a blush as her heart beat faster. "You don't want my help, Chase?"  
  
Chase took a shaky breath. "I doubt you're going to same way as me."  
  
"And where would that be?" Silence. "What are you running from, Chase?"  
  
The pilot stopped suddenly. "Running?"  
  
"That's what I said."  
  
"I'm not running from anything!"  
  
Ryuujin smirked. "Then why get so angry about the question?"  
  
"The nerve of you thinking I would run from anything," she growled. "I'm a Gundam pilot. I-" She stopped when his eyes met hers. Her breath seemed to be harder to push through her lungs as she looked at him.  
  
"Pretty confident, ne?" he asked.  
  
What was it about him? "I have to be. If I don't have any confidence in my skills then I'm dead. I have to rely on them and never anyone else's. I-" She stopped once more, but this time for a different reason. Ryuujin reached down and kissed her. Chase's eyes flew open as wide as they would go. Her mind raced. She had been in this position with Heero just a week before and had rejected him, and she had known Heero much longer than this man who had saved her the night before, but somehow, this seemed right. She relaxed as his arms wrapped around her shoulders.  
  
When the kiss ended, Chase's emerald orbs fluttered open. "How did you know I was running?" she whispered as she lay her head against his chest.  
  
"You don't seem like the type to distant yourself from people."  
  
Chase looked up at him and smiled. "So, Ryuujin, which way are you going?"  
  
*end flashback *  
  
Chase took a deep breath as she looked at Heero and Quatre who had sat listening intently to every words she spoke. "I traveled with him where he went. I loved him."  
  
"Do you still love him?" Heero asked just slightly above a whisper.  
  
Chase thought a moment. "Yes. And until Trowa did what he did, I thought I loved him too, but not anymore. I couldn't love someone that would kill his own friends. His own comrades.  
  
Heero nodded as he stood and started for the door.  
  
"But I love you, Heero. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I love you or Ryuujin any more or any less than the other, but I chose to be with you."  
  
"If he had been around you more as I had, would you have chosen him over me?"  
  
"I don't know. I was never in that position. All I know is that I chose you."  
  
Quatre took his cue to leave and slipped upstairs quietly.  
  
Heero walked back to the young woman who sat on the couch. "I died, Chase. We aren't married any longer. You could... always go back to him."  
  
Chase sat in shock at his words as he disappeared to the loft to work on the computer. A single tear slid down her cheek as she watched after him.  
  
"Chase?"  
  
The young woman looked at the blue haired man as he stopped at the door.  
  
"Why does this all have to come crashing down at once?" she whispered before allowing the deluge of tears to fall from her eyes.  
  
Ryuujin sat down next to her and held her in his arms. "What did he say to make you cry like this?" he asked her quietly. 


	31. The Tables Have Turned. Place Your Bets.

Chapter Thirty-one: The Tables Have Turned. Place Your Bets.   
  
Jack Avis paced. He didn't pace often, only when he was annoyed or worried. And right now he was worried. Trowa had been gone for hours. He knew that the older man could take care of himself; after all he'd survived three wars and endless skirmishes. He wasn't quite sure how to tell him what he had seen. He almost had a sense of failure. He had to tell Trowa that Quatre Raberba Winner was dead.  
  
Jack suppressed a shiver and made another turn in the carpet of Trowa's quarters. He knew it was inevitable, an only fair that he knew. Jack froze in place as he heard footsteps down the hall. Trowa was back. He placed himself in front of the door and stood at attention. The door swung open and Trowa stepped inside. He was startled by the younger man's presence but did not show it.  
  
"Good evening, Jack." Trowa said.  
  
He relaxed a little at the use of his first name.  
  
"Evening. Did the mission go well?"  
  
Trowa sat the laptop on the dresser and put the gun on top of it. "I completed the mission. There was a minor complication. Heero and Ryu witnessed it."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
"I know you are."  
  
There was a pause as Jack mentally put together what he was going to say. Trowa sat at his desk chair and motioned for Jack to sit as well. Jack sat on the edge of the bed.  
  
"You wanted to tell me something earlier. I'm sorry I cut you off. What did you want to say?" Trowa asked.  
  
Jack breathed deeply and bit his lip. "I'm sorry Trowa. I'm so sorry I couldn't stop it."  
  
"Jack,"  
  
"Quatre Raberba Winner is dead."  
  
Trowa's fists clenched up and his eyes shut. As soon as Jack had uttered the word `Quatre' he knew what was happening. He calmed his heart rate and his eyes flickered open. His gaze fell on Jack who was studying the floor. The younger man looked up and saw a brief flash of pain and loss in the emerald eyes. Trowa blinked and there was no sign of emotion left in him. The Silencer had taken over.  
  
"Mei did it."  
  
"Yes. He got in a cab and half a block down the street it blew up."  
  
"Where is she now?" his tone was solid ice.  
  
"The last time I checked she was at her apartment. I haven't seen Cavel since this morning."  
  
"Very well. You are dismissed, Lieutenant."  
  
Jack stood. "Yes, Sir." He whispered. As he reached the door, Trowa's voice stopped him.  
  
"Jack,"  
  
"Let come with you, Trowa. If you're going to go on a vendetta against her you may as well have back-up."  
  
"I don't want you involved in this any more than you have to be."  
  
"That's what I'm here for."  
  
Trowa glared at him. "Very well. But so help me Jack, if you try to interfere with anything I try to do tonight," he warned.  
  
"I won't."  
  
"All right. Go change into civilian clothes. I meant what I said, Jack."  
  
Jack grinned. "So did I."  
  
Anna skimmed through Lieutenant Hornblower and lamented the fact that her Retribution tape was at home on the shelf. She was comfortable curled up against the cushions on the couch. She sighed and placed the book on the table and picked up the remote control. Just as she was about to turn the TV on, the room was flooded with a bright white light. Anna shrieked and jumped behind the couch, crouching in a defensive position. When the light had faded away, she peeked over the edge of the couch.  
  
"Sparky!" she exclaimed.  
  
The young man huddled on the floor, clutching the laptop to him as if it was the only thing keeping him up. He was shaking and had had a look of shock written over his face. Anna knelt in front of him.  
  
"Sparky? What happened? Talk to me, babe." She murmured.  
  
He didn't seem to acknowledge her presence. "Murdered him," he mumbled.  
  
"Who murdered him, Sparky?"  
  
"Trowa murdered him."  
  
"Who?"  
  
Cavel finally looked up at her. "I'm sorry, Anna. I'm sorry. I didn't know what to do."  
  
"It's okay, Sparky. What happened?"  
  
"I didn't ever think he'd do it. He always seemed like he still cared." He said softly.  
  
"It would help me out if you'd tell me what happened."  
  
"Trowa murdered him. I saw it. They saw it too."  
  
"Who else saw it?"  
  
"Heero and the blue haired man."  
  
"Ryuujin."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"What did the three of you see Trowa do?"  
  
He fell silent. She pried the laptop out of his fingers and laid it to the side. Anna pulled the younger man up off the floor and took his jacket off before sitting him on the couch.  
  
"Do you want something warm to drink?" she asked. She could see the signs of shock showing up.  
  
He shook his head. She got up to get it, but he grabbed her wrist.  
  
"No, no, no. Stay. I've got to tell you this."  
  
She sat back down. "Take your time, kiddo. You're safe."  
  
"He called. Said Trowa was after him. I went to find them. I saw Trowa do it."  
  
"What did he do?"  
  
He looked at her with wide, dark eyes. "Duo Maxwell is dead."  
  
Anna stared at him a moment before the point set in. She leaned back in the couch. "I see."  
  
"I'm sorry."  
  
She shook her head. "I don't see why it should matter. It's like it was before. I had him for a day and now he's gone again. I don't see why I should be surprised."  
  
This seemed to pull Cavel out of his stupor. "You aren't upset?" he asked.  
  
"Yes. No. I don't know. I hate Trowa Barton. He knew...he knew how it was the last time. But," she trailed off.  
  
"Aren't you going to cry?" Cavel whispered.  
  
Anna steeled her gaze. "No. I grieved for him ten years ago. I'm not going to do it again." She smiled dangerously. "But don't think Trowa will get away with this. I wasn't Tenshi no Shinigami for nothing. Trowa and Victor both. I'm sure he was under an order from Victor."  
  
Cavel started to say something, but was cut off by the sound of a car door slamming loudly outside. Anna automatically reached over and turned out the lamp, bathing the room in darkness and moonlight. Cavel carefully moved to the window and pulled the curtain back half an inch. Anna came to stand behind him.  
  
"Trowa," she said lowly. "Who's the man with him?"  
  
Cavel looked more closely at the taller man's companion. He let out a surprised gasp. "That's Jack. He and I were very close."  
  
Anna watched Trowa's movements. She noticed that both of them were in civilian clothing, and Trowa was donning the old green turtleneck and grey slacks. The man Cavel called Jack stayed close behind Trowa, keeping an eye out on everything. Anna gave a short humorless laugh.  
  
"What?" Cavel asked.  
  
"I love irony." Anna murmured. "Trowa's here because he thinks I killed Quatre. He's here to avenge the murder of one of his ex-comrades after he murdered one himself." She fingered her short hair. "I think I'll deprive him of the glory. Grab your stuff. We're leaving."  
  
"Where are we going?"  
  
"Tokyo. I have a friend there who can help us. I'm getting fed up with this." Anna said. "We'll go out by the balcony in your room."  
  
He nodded and disappeared into his room. Anna scribbled a note and taped it to the TV screen. She picked up her book and went to grab her laptop and her bag. She got to the balcony as Trowa pounded on her door. Cavel had already tied a rope and slid down to ground level. Anna heard the door break open in the background. She slid down to her companion and looked up.  
  
Trowa was pulling the apartment apart as Jack spotted the note.  
  
"In one venue, out another window. See you later." He read out loud. Trowa looked up at him.  
  
"What did you say?"  
  
"I think they left out a window." Jack said.  
  
Trowa slammed a fist into the counter. "Come on." He passed Cavel's window and saw it open. "Jack!" he called. He ran out onto the balcony and looked down. Hoshimawari Mei leered up at him.  
  
"Missing something, soldier?" she asked.  
  
He snarled something at her and Jack came to stand by him.  
  
"Cavel." He said quietly.  
  
Cavel shrugged at him, and Jack nodded.  
  
Anna saw the look in Trowa's eyes. "Go." She told Sparky.  
  
Cavel gave a small wave to Jack and took off down the street. Anna blew a kiss up at Trowa and was then on Cavel's heels. Trowa leapt off the balcony and landed gracefully below. Jack opted for the rope.  
  
Anna pulled Cavel behind a building to wait for them to catch up a little. She turned to him. "How loyal is Jack to OWN?"  
  
Cavel shook his head. "He's not."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Jack didn't take the blood oath to own. He took the blood oath to his immediate superior."  
  
Anna frowned. "Trowa."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That's what I call dedication."  
  
"He's very dedicated to the people he cares about."  
  
Anna nodded. "Let's go."  
  
They ran down the street and Jack spotted them.  
  
"Trowa." He called.  
  
Trowa narrowed his eyes and was after them like a shot.  
  
"We'll end this small chase at the dock." Anna said, indicating the direction to the shuttle dock.  
  
"Right." Cavel agreed.  
  
Trowa was gaining ground, and he was gaining it fast. Anna didn't remember him being that good a runner. He fired at her back, still thinking she was Mei. Anna dodged it, but tripped in the process. She slammed to the ground, the laptop hitting the concrete as well. The disguising program shut down and Hoshimawari Mei fell away, revealing the ex-Star pilot. Anna gasped as her curls fell around her face. Cavel stopped and bent next to her to help her up, and she turned, locking eyes with the ex-Heavyarms pilot. Blue eyes met stunned green ones and Trowa balked at what he saw.  
  
"Anna," he breathed.  
  
She held his gaze as Cavel helped her up and picked the laptop up. The boy held onto her arm, slightly pulling her in the direction of the dock. Jack came up behind Trowa and grabbed his arm.  
  
"You murdered him," Trowa said quietly.  
  
She shrugged. "What do you think?"  
  
"I think one of us is a traitor." Trowa said dryly.  
  
She grinned. "Only one, Trowa-kun?" she asked.  
  
He narrowed his eyes again and aimed at her. "What did he ever do to you?"  
  
She glared at him. "I could ask you the same thing." She snarled. Then she smiled again. "But c'est la vie, ne? Ja ne." She ripped the laptop open and hit a key. Trowa threw himself forward, but he was too late. The last they saw was someone running at Cavel and grabbing him, but they vanished in the telltale white light of the transport program.  
  
"This isn't over, Maxwell." Trowa growled. He turned his heel on the scene and headed back to headquarters, Jack still with him.  
  
Meg hummed as she pulled back the sheet on the corpse. She sighed and brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face. She had never been afraid of bodies, but she regretted having to do an autopsy on this one. However, Heero had requested that she be the one to do it -or rather demanded she do it at gun point- so she acquiesced.  
  
She studied his face. Before death had set in, he had been quite hansom. He had great eyes and hair. Meg sighed again and pulled her cart with her tools over towards her. She jerked it to hard and a vial of pale yellow liquid fell over and onto the chestnut locks.  
  
"Crap!" she exclaimed, retrieving the vial and grabbing a towel. After she dried the mess off the table she looked closely at the hair the chemicals had spilled onto. Wherever the liquid had touched, it had stained the brown hair blonde. Meg frowned. She had not spilled bleach onto it. She felt her way up his scalp until she found what she was looking for.  
  
"Extensions. This man is a natural blonde." She murmured.  
  
She leaned closer and pulled an eyelid open. Under careful scrutiny, she found another interesting fact. This man had brown eyes underneath violet tinted contacts.  
  
Meg stood back and placed a hand on her hip. "Either you were very insecure, Mr. Maxwell, or you are not Mr. Maxwell." She washed her hands off and sat down at her desk to dial Heero's cell phone. Something was extremely askew. 


	32. Chaos Reigns Supreme

Chapter Thirty-two: Chaos Reigns Supreme  
  
Chase jumped slightly at the sound of the cell phone ringing on the coffee table. She blinked in slight confusion, then the day came flooding back to her. Duo was dead, Anna was nowhere to be found, and she had cried herself to sleep in Ryuujin's arms after telling the story to Heero and Quatre.  
  
She unfolded herself and crabbed the phone. "Hello?"  
  
"I'm sorry. I must have the wrong number."  
  
"Meg?" Chase asked, recognizing the doctor's voice. "This is Chase."  
  
Ryuujin watched the petite woman as her eyes grew wider and wider.  
  
She nodded. "Thank you, Meg. I'll see you when you get back." She clicked the phone shut and turned her light brown eyes toward Ryuujin's reflective blue ones.  
  
"What was that?" he asked.  
  
"Duo may be alive," she whispered. "The guy that died was a double. Paid by OWN, more than likely."  
  
Ryuujin blinked.  
  
The blond woman opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the ringing of the flat's telephone. She picked it up, hoping to hear her best friend's voice. "Anna?"  
  
"Where is she?"  
  
Chase paled at the tone of the voice and whom it belonged to. "Who?"  
  
"Maxwell. Where is she?"  
  
"I don't know, actually," she responded calmly and reached for her bag. Ryu gave her a questioning look and then grinned when she pulled a tracking device from it and hooked it to her phone. "How'd you get this number, Trowa?"  
  
"That's not important. Do you know what she did?"  
  
"I'm afraid I've always been the last to know things."  
  
"Quatre's dead thanks to your friend."  
  
"And Duo's dead thanks to you." Chase grinned as she gave a thumbs up to Ryuujin as she tossed the tracking device to him. Suddenly she paled.  
  
Ryuujin stepped forward.  
  
"You wouldn't dare," Chase growled into the phone. "Trowa! Leave innocent people out of all this! Barton!" She growled something in Japanese as she slammed the phone back down.  
  
"What's going on?"  
  
"He's going to kill Hikari."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"My assistant." Chase grabbed her bag took the tracer out of the blue haired man's hands. "I need this to get to Trowa's location by laptop. It makes everything easier and faster." And time could not be wasted.  
  
"I'm coming with you," Ryuujin said as he picked up his sword and its sheath from the couch.  
  
Chase nodded and grabbed a piece of paper, scribbling a note to Heero and Quatre on it. "Let's go."  
  
  
  
Chase and Ryuujin watched the light fade around them as they appeared in OWN headquarters. The green eyed woman felt the caster hooked on her belt. "It shouldn't be too hard to find him." She looked at the tracking device and chose a direction to begin in. Ryuujin followed her quick stride with ease.  
  
"How do you expect to find them?"  
  
Chase smirked without answering and slipped into a small room. She sat down at a table, taking the laptop out of her bag. She typed in commands and then stood abruptly. "Found him. He's in the west part of the building and we're in the southwest. C'mon."  
  
"Clever system you have there."  
  
"A gift from a not too friendly mad scientist I use to know. After this is all over I want to go find his old lab and see what else I can find in it. I never liked him very much, but his gadgets were always useful."  
  
Ryuujin stopped suddenly, his hand going for his sword. Chase's eyes darted back, her caster gun in her hand already.  
  
"Keep going," Ryu said. "I'll hold them back."  
  
Chase nodded as she started off in a sprint. Her mind raced to recall every turn that she needed to take to get to Hikari's position.  
  
She turned one last corner and skidded to a stop at a closed door. Locked. This was it. She set a small explosive on the door handle and stepped back. She then kicked the door open, caster in hand.  
  
The room was pitch black and Chase walked in with caution. "Hikari- chan?" she called softly.  
  
She felt the cold metal of a gun barrel press against her back. "I thought you'd be here shortly, Chase," Trowa said.  
  
"Where's Hikari?"  
  
"Where's Anna?"  
  
Chase growled under her breath. "I told you that I didn't know and I meant it, Barton." She turned to face him. "You won't shoot me, Trowa. We both know that."  
  
She watched Trowa's glare darken and then he relaxed. Chase reached up and removed the gun. "Where is Hikari?"  
  
Trowa smirked. "I told you she'd die. I meant it, Chase."  
  
Her green eyes widened. "Omae o Korosu," she whispered as she cocked the gun she had taken from him.  
  
"Just as I would not shoot you, Chase, you could never shoot me. I know how strong your loyalties were – are – to each of the Gundam pilots. Former or retired."  
  
"Loyalties are something you know nothing of. You shouldn't even be able to refer to yourself as a 'retired' Gundam pilot."  
  
"You've lost your touch," Trowa whispered as he moved quickly toward her, taking back his gun.  
  
Her eyes narrowed as he pressed the trigger. He misses as she flipped to one side, landing gracefully on her feet. "Maybe I really don't know you, Barton," she growled as she dodged another bullet. She found her way over to the door, finding it unwilling to open. "Blast you."  
  
Trowa smirked. His smirk faded as the door swished open and closed again when Chase fell back through it. He growled out a curse and slammed his fist against the locked door. He then sunk down to the floor in defeat. For the moment.  
  
Chase looked up to see Hikari and Ryuujin leaning over her. "Hikari- chan!" she nearly screamed. "Daijobou ka?"  
  
Hikari nodded as she helped her friend up. Chase looked at Ryu questioningly.  
  
"She was in a room down the hall. I found her while looking for you."  
  
Chase nodded. "Arigatou. Let's get back to the house."  
  
"What about Barton?" Ryuujin asked.  
  
"Forget him for now." That said, she pulled out the laptop and a white light flashed around them as they disappeared. 


	33. Welcome to the Underground, Watch Your H...

Chapter Thirty-Three: Welcome to the Underground, Watch Your Head  
  
Trowa was trying to catch up on sleep, but he wasn't getting much accomplished. He had been restless for hours before finally dozing off, and once asleep he was plagued by nightmares.  
  
He was standing in the dark. It wasn't so bad; he was used to the dark. A bright flash of light caught his attention and he looked up into the distance. Quatre was standing there, close but far away. Trowa started walking towards him, but the faster he walked the further away his friend got. He tried calling out to him, but his voice wouldn't work. Finally in desperation, he broke into a run. Quatre gazed at him sympathetically. He eventually got close to the smaller man. Quatre's expression never changed; he simply gazed at his friend. Trowa reached out and his fingertips had almost brushed across Quatre's cheek when he changed. Anna took his place, with dark eyes filled with hate and a gun pointed at his head. He took a step back and held his hand up as if for defense. It changed yet again and a sword came at him from out of the darkness. He could not see the person wielding it, but he had a fairly good idea of who it was.  
  
To his horror, the image changed one last time. Trowa sensed something else there, and he was right. Jack fell out of the shadows, his eyes dull and lifeless. His uniform was soaked in blood and he was falling. Automatically, Trowa reached out and the younger man fell against him. Trowa collapsed to the ground with Jack in his arms, too stunned to move or think. A strong wind made his shoulders shake so hard he was pulled to the edge of oblivion before his mind realized the shaking was happening on the outside. Startled, Trowa forced his eyes open to meet the concerned gaze of his First Lieutenant.  
  
"You okay? I could hear you thrashing around in here from in the hall." Jack Avis said with a small grin.  
  
"Jack," Trowa said, calculating that this was the real Jack, and the other had been just a dream.  
  
"Good, you remembered my name. It's a step in the right direction." Jack replied. He looked surprised as Trowa gripped his arm.  
  
"This has gone to far," Trowa murmured.  
  
"What has?"  
  
"This guise. I'm going to get one or both of us killed."  
  
"No you won't. You're doing what you have to do."  
  
Trowa looked up at him. "Anna murdered Quatre. Even if I haven't really killed any of them yet, I'm as guilty as she is. I don't want you to loose your life for this, Jack. The only reason you're hear is because of me."  
  
Jack rolled his eyes. "You think too much of yourself. Or not enough of me. Friendship means something, and you know it better than anyone. You're just protecting them your way. And of course, the 'bigger' picture."  
  
"The universe."  
  
"Right."  
  
"I'm going to find her though, and bring her to her knees. Maybe we'll bring each other to our knees, but I'll find her."  
  
"God help her."  
  
  
  
The laptop program malfunctioned at the unsuspected addition of a third party. As a result, the world came into focus as usual, only five feet above the ground, and inside a store. Three bodies crashed to the ground in a tangled heap.  
  
"What the heck!" Anna exclaimed, attempting to extract herself from the pile.  
  
"I didn't do it." Sparky muttered, getting hit in the face with a shoe.  
  
"Good to see technology is still working." The third party muttered.  
  
Anna stood and brushed herself off. "Wufei Chang! I should have known! What do you think you're doing?" she shouted.  
  
"Coming with you, what does it look like? You didn't give a very polite exit, Anna. No goodbye or anything." Wufei replied.  
  
"I didn't ask you for your help! Oh, by the way, thank you for my fan."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
"I'm confused," Sparky said.  
  
Anna helped him up. "You met Wufei, I believe, when he interrogated you. Wufei, you remember Sparky."  
  
Wufei was giving her the cutthroat signal, but stopped as Cavel looked at him. "No, I don't believe we've ever met." Wufei said. Cavel looked back at Anna and Wufei made a motion of injecting something into his arm.  
  
Anna blinked. "Oh, that's right. It wasn't you. Sorry! Cavel, meet Wufei, Wufei meet Cavel."  
  
They shook hands while Anna tried to figure out where they were. There were three mirrors on one side of the room and a bench attached to the wall on the other. There was a door on one side with a metal lock and the door had slats in it. Several bras were hanging on a hook on one of the walls. Wufei and Cavel had noticed.  
  
"Anna?" Wufei questioned.  
  
She started laughing. "We were supposed to land in front of a motel whose owner I know. I think we're in a dressing room of the lingerie shop across the street."  
  
Cavel immediately blushed a deep scarlet and Wufei closed his eyes with impatience. "Of all the places, Anna," he muttered.  
  
"Not my fault. If you hadn't been so hasty, I could have done this the right way. Come on, gentlemen, this is 2013. No one will think anything of two men and a woman coming out of a dressing room together."  
  
Wufei arched an eyebrow. "Oh really?"  
  
"Well…maybe just a little…"  
  
"I refuse to sacrifice my dignity for this. Use the laptop and get us out of here." Wufei demanded.  
  
"Come on, it's not like we're coming out of a closet."  
  
Cavel blushed again and Wufei looked as if he were going to take her head off. "Anna!"  
  
She grinned. "I can't use another jump. It'll be too much of a power drain. We all might not make it. You don't want to wind up in the display case of animal print wear, do you?"  
  
Wufei glared at her. "Very well, woman. But, we're going one at a time. I'm going first."  
  
"As you like." Anna agreed.  
  
He stuck his head out the door and glanced around. As soon as he was sure no one was looking he dashed for the street. Anna rolled her eyes.  
  
"Why did he call you woman?" Cavel asked.  
  
"His male pride's been hurt. He calls every woman 'woman'. It's his version of an insult."  
  
"But you are a woman."  
  
"Tell him that. You're up, kiddo."  
  
"I don't mind if you want to go too. It doesn't bother me."  
  
"All right then. Let's get out of here."  
  
Casually, they exited the dressing room and found themselves in the main part of the store. Anna smiled at one of the employees and continued walking, showing she wasn't interested in help. As they got near the front of the store, they saw Wufei. He'd been detained by a perfume sales lady and hadn't been able to get away from her. Anna grinned devilishly, and picked two items off one of the racks.  
  
"Wufei!" She called.  
  
He looked up.  
  
"Which do you think, the black or the red?"  
  
Anna was still grinning as she knocked on the door of the place across the street. Cavel was trying not to laugh at the smoldering Chinese man, who was glaring daggers at the woman in front of them. The sign above the door said "Mirek's Inn" and the sign on the door said, "Knock for Service."  
  
No one was answering, so Anna pounded louder on the door. "Mirek! I know you're in there! Somewhere!" she shouted.  
  
"How do you know that?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Because he never leaves." Anna replied. "He might be underground."  
  
"We're in Tokyo, Anna. There isn't anything underground but sewers and the subway*."  
  
She grinned. "Whatever you say, Fei-chan. Mirek! Some time this year, buddy!" she called.  
  
They heard footsteps approach from inside the building. A second later, the door swung open and a tall man stood in the entrance. "As I live and breathe, if it isn't Anna Maxwell. I thought I scared you off?"  
  
She laughed. "Not quite. Can we get a room from you?"  
  
"You running from something?"  
  
"Naturally."  
  
"Then step right in, lady and gentlemen. Because one thing I have plenty of is rooms." He grinned.  
  
He led them inside before shutting and bolting the door.  
  
"Mirek, before you help us, there's something you should know."  
  
"We've had a conversation like that before."  
  
"Not exactly. You remember Trowa Barton?"  
  
"You told me about him, yes."  
  
"He killed Duo."  
  
Mirek looked surprised. "Duo was already dead."  
  
Anna shook her head. "He was alive, and now he's dead again."  
  
Mirek sat on one of the couches in what looked like a lobby area and motioned for the rest of them to sit as well. "He was alive? Son of a gun. I'm sorry Anna."  
  
"Don't be. I didn't have long enough to get used to it."  
  
"Nevertheless,"  
  
"Don't, Mirek, I can't handle that right now. Anyway, Trowa Barton thinks I killed Quatre. I didn't, but that's beside the point. If he finds me, he'll try to kill me and the rest of us, I have no doubt."  
  
"I'm not worried. The last person that tried to kill you wound up with six bullets in him. Besides, if you hide underground, he won't find you. You can get better information underground anyway. I'll help you, Anna."  
  
"Thank you. I really appreciate it."  
  
"Six bullets?" Sparky repeated incredulously.  
  
Mirek grinned. "I'm protective of my friends."  
  
Wufei frowned. "What is this underground you two keep talking about?"  
  
"Mirek, this is Wufei Chang, and my assistant Cavel."  
  
"Pleasure. I'm Mirek Sloan. The underground, Mr. Chang, is the world's best kept secret." Mirek replied.  
  
Cavel and Wufei exchanged glances.  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"You remember I said the one thing I had plenty of was rooms?"  
  
They nodded.  
  
"Look around. This isn't anything more than a three-bedroom house with an open foyer. Follow me, and I'll show you a world only seen by a lucky few."  
  
"You're so dramatic." Anna remarked.  
  
"I try."  
  
Mirek stood and led the group to the end of the hall and stopped in front of a window. He bent and pulled a section of carpet up, revealing a trap door. He opened the door and a staircase led into a dark hole.  
  
"Stay close now, it's dark until you hit the main floor." He said.  
  
Wufei went followed by Sparky, and Anna went last, pulling the door shut behind her. Mirek led them deeper and deeper down, until they reached a second door. He opened it and they stepped into a hallway that resembled what a hotel hallway looked like. Indeed, it was a hotel hallway; it was a hallway in Mirek's Inn.  
  
"Welcome to my world." He grinned. "You're on the eighth and top floor of my inn. I charge no fee to whomever travels with Anna Maxwell."  
  
Wufei's mouth dropped open and Cavel stared in disbelief.  
  
"You're entire hotel is underground?" Wufei asked incredulously.  
  
"Not just my hotel." Mirek pushed a curtain aside on the hall window. "That outside there is Underground Tokyo. It spans under about half the city, and seven thousand people live and work here. Most of them never have to leave. We have all the same things an above ground city do: restaurants, shopping malls, clothing stores, movies, clubs, bars, anime stores, grocery stores, everything. You name it, it's here."  
  
Cavel was plastered to the window. "This is incredible! A whole world that is safe from above. Is this still here in my time?"  
  
"As far as I know." Anna replied.  
  
Wufei looked at her. "How did you find this place?"  
  
"I didn't. I found Mirek."  
  
He grinned. "This place is impossible to find unless you are sent here. There are only four entrances. Some people work on the surface and just live here, other people haven't been out of here in over three years. I do a little of both."  
  
"How long has this place been here?" Wufei asked.  
  
"About seven years. Its structure is a little bit strange, because part of it is in this world, and part of it is in a computer generated alternate universe. If we didn't have that computer, we'd only have about one fourth of the space we do."  
  
"Where did you get this technology?"  
  
"From the future. Most of the people here are from the AC era. They're either hiding from something, or were innocents convicted of crimes they didn't commit, or just people that didn't have anyplace to go after the Eve wars." Mirek said.  
  
"Like you?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Just like me." Mirek answered.  
  
"You didn't work for Oz, did you?" Wufei murmured.  
  
Mirek laughed. "No, my friend. I didn't."  
  
"Can I go explore?" Cavel asked. Excitement shone in his young eyes.  
  
"Sure. It's not like you can get lost. If you do get lost by extreme means, just ask anyone for directions back here." Mirek answered.  
  
"I'll go with him." Wufei said.  
  
They disappeared down the elevator and into the underground marvel. Mirek turned to Anna, and grinned.  
  
"I really never thought you'd come back."  
  
"I planned too. In fact, I was going to come back last weekend, but something came up."  
  
"And what was that?"  
  
"Heero Yuy showed up in my bathroom."  
  
  
  
Heero Yuy was in the loft in Chicago, and Heero Yuy was not happy. Not that it was anything new, there had been few times in his life when he had been happy. He had been happy when he was very little, he was happy when he married Chase, he was happy when he found a friend in Duo Maxwell. His problem was the fact that all of these things were being taken away from him. He'd lost his childhood to Odin Lowe, Duo Maxwell to death, and he was loosing Chase to Ryuujin. He glared at the laptop screen murderously. He wondered vaguely what he'd done to deserve it. Besides murdering innocent people for the sake of the mission.  
  
He brought up the transport program. It was a prototype, and it hadn't been used since the initial testing. It could malfunction in mid send and land him anywhere, anytime. It was a risk he was willing to take. He brought up his traced coordinates of Trowa Barton. He was in a small town in Germany, AC 209. He'd made a promise to his dead friend, and he was intent on keeping it. He grabbed his bag and hit the start button.  
  
As the white light surrounded him, he smiled grimly. "Mission accepted." He murmured. 


	34. Why Is Japan Suddenly the Place to Go?

Chapter Thirty-four: Why is Japan suddenly the place to go?  
  
  
  
"Ohayo!" Chase called out to the small flat as she looked over the sunbathed room. "Heero? Quatre-kun? Meg-san?"  
  
The small pilot looked over to the couch when she heard a muffled yawn. Meg Collins stretched and smiled. "Good morning, Chase. I'm glad you found your friend safe and sound."  
  
"Hai. I mean… Yes. Sorry."  
  
Meg smiled.  
  
"So where is everyone?"  
  
"Quatre is upstairs. He disappeared some time ago."  
  
"And Heero?"  
  
"I think I found out what happened," Quatre's voice met their ears from upstairs.  
  
Chase scowled slightly and started towards the stairs. Hikari and Ryuujin looked at each other and shrugged. The blond pilot disappeared up the stairs and into the loft.  
  
"Found out what happened to who?"  
  
Quatre gasped in surprise. "Chase! O…Ohayo, Chase. I'm afraid…"  
  
"What happened, Quatre-kun?"  
  
The blond Arabian looked down at the floor. "I'm afraid Heero has rigged up an other world hopping device. There was a bright flash of white light and when we came to see what it was, he was gone."  
  
Chase gaped. "What? How did he know if it would work or not? He couldn't have just…"  
  
"I'm afraid he did, Chase."  
  
Chase closed her eyes and shook slightly, controlling her desire to let out a stream of curses. She took a calming breath. "This is what we're going to do: I have a manga convention to go to."  
  
"Chase! Now?"  
  
"It will say to everyone in Japan that Trowa's remarks about the Luck Inc. incident are false. It will also lure Trowa to us."  
  
"Perfect," Ryuujin said from behind.  
  
Chase grinned. "Minna-san, we're going to Japan. Pack up."  
  
  
  
The land passed by them as the plane took off into the late morning sky. Chase lay her head back on the seat and sighed. All this was happening so fast. Had it been a little over a week ago that this had started? First Duo showed up at her convention and things seemed to go into a mass of chaos from there.  
  
Her thoughts wandered to Heero. Baka. Trying out a new world hopping system on himself? Had he gone back to his old ways of not having anything to live for? Why?  
  
Ryuujin's hand on her shoulder pulled her out of her thoughts. "You okay, Chase-chan?"  
  
"Hai. Daijobou."  
  
"Where exactly are we heading?"  
  
"Tokyo, Japan. By the way, Ryu, this is a formal convention,"  
  
He looked at her oddly. "Huh?"  
  
"Ya know, dressing up. Looking nice for the public."  
  
Ryuujin sunk back in his seat. "Maybe I shouldn't go to this. I really don't feel very well in the first place…"  
  
"Oh c'mon, Ryu! Don't chicken out on me now," she answered with a wink.  
  
Ryuujin muttered something and then sunk a little lower into his seat.  
  
The petite Gundam pilot smiled and turned her attention back to the window. This was going to be a long flight. It had been chaotic just getting onto the plane. Ryuujin had NOT wanted to leave his sword behind, even when they had gone through the explanation that the authorities would never allow him to carry it onto the plane. Chase had made special arrangements for Odin Lowe to meet them there and bring the sword to the blue haired swordsman.  
  
Chase sighed deeply.  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chase stretched as she stepped out into the early evening air. "Tokyo! I've missed this place!" she sighed loudly.  
  
"Not enough people to speak English," Ryuujin growled. "And where's Lowe with my sword?"  
  
Chase rubbed her temples. Oh stars… Him and his sword…  
  
  
  
By the time they reached the hotel, the whole gang was worn out.  
  
"You're saying we have to go to this tonight?" Quatre asked as he fell back onto the bed.  
  
"Hai. Gomen ne, Quatre-kun." The small woman stepped toward the window and peered out. "Ne, Ryu?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"We're going to need to get you a suit before tonight."  
  
"I really am not feeling well…"  
  
Chase threw a glare in his direction. "I know somewhere we can get one."  
  
  
  
Chase huffed her annoyance and banged on the door once again. Ryuujin had changed into the suit but would not come out.  
  
"I feel ridiculous."  
  
"Still won't come out?" Odin asked from his seat on the bed. He'd made it there half an hour before.  
  
"Iie. Stubborn man!" she called towards the door. "I swear, Ryuujin, if you don't come out right now I'm coming in there and dragging you out!"  
  
There was a loud sigh and the door opened. Ryuujin stepped out and looked at everyone. Quatre and Odin sat in the main part of the two-room hotel room dressed in tuxes. Chase stood before him, hands on her hips. She was dressed in a long, form fitting dress that came up as a halter-top and left her back bare. Slits reached up to her thighs. He blinked.  
  
Chase allowed a grin to spread across her face as she looked at him. "You look very nice, Ryuujin," she said as she took hold of his sleeve. "Now COME ON!!"  
  
"Ack!" He stood still and left Chase pulling and tugging on his sleeve. "Do I get to bring my sword?" he asked with a grin.  
  
"Oh stars… Ryu… No! No sword!"  
  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
  
"You let him bring the sword?" Hikari asked as she watched the blue haired man out of the corner of her eye. "People are gonna wonder…"  
  
"Not really. C'mon, Hikari, we're going to a manga convention. There are going to be some strange people there."  
  
She smiled. "With swords hooked onto their back?"  
  
"As long as he leaves it in the sheath," she answered, pointing the comment towards Ryuujin more than Hikari.  
  
"Yeah, yeah."  
  
"By the way, Quatre-kun," Chase said as she smiled back at him. "There's someone here that was wanting to see you."  
  
Quatre looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Dare?"  
  
Dorothy Catalonia stepped out and smiled at him. Quatre looked at Chase, silently thanking her as he rushed to meet her.  
  
Chase smiled. "Happy reunions."  
  
"They won't last, you know."  
  
Chase glared slightly. "Way to rain on the festivities, Ryu-kun," she muttered. She looked at the blond Arabian as he took Dorothy's arm and led her into the room they had been heading for. She turned to the swordsman by her side. "Anou, Ryu?"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Would you like to escort me in?"  
  
Ryuujin smiled and took her arm. The petite ex-assassin smiled. "Arigatou, Ryuujin."  
  
  
  
Chase stepped outside into the cool night air and walked up next to Ryuujin. "Not having a good time?"  
  
He shrugged. "I told you I didn't feel well."  
  
Chase reached up and placed her hand against his cheek. "Doesn't feel like you have a fever."  
  
"I don't get sick often."  
  
"I know."  
  
Ryuujin turned his attention back away from the young woman at his side. "It wouldn't be very good for the people around me if I did get sick often, ne?"  
  
Chase grinned. "Iie. I doubt that a sneezing Ryuujin would do anyone any good."  
  
He smiled and leaned against the railing of the small balcony, head down. "Go on back inside, Chase. Let's keep this act going as long as possible."  
  
Chase nodded and started back, then turned. "Ryu?"  
  
He looked up and smiled. "I'm okay. Just tired, I think."  
  
Chase nodded and walked back inside.  
  
  
  
It had been a good fifteen minutes and Chase was beginning to worry. She stood from her seat where she had been talking with some of her artist friends. "Excuse me."  
  
She started for the outside, but heard someone in behind her. "Elise- san!"  
  
Chase turned quickly and saw her friend backing away from Ryuujin, who had his sword drawn. His eyes glowed a dark red and Chase gasped. This was NOT in her plans.  
  
"Ryuujin!" she called.  
  
"Is that Ryuujin-san?" Hikari asked as she backed up behind Chase.  
  
The tall swordsman made his way over to the assassin and she held her ground. "Not here, Ryuujin. Please."  
  
His eyes glared into her own and she stepped back. She remembered this part of being close to Ryuujin. She remembered it all too well.  
  
She jumped up and back as the sword came slicing toward her. Memories of the first time he'd fought her flooded into her mind. He hadn't even been trying and he had defeated her easily. 'I'm better than I was at age fifteen,' she reminded herself silently as she jumped back again. She crouched to see if she could throw his judgment off slightly.  
  
Without warning, Ryuujin stopped. He sunk down to the ground, holding his head in his hands, eyes wide. Chase stared.  
  
Darkness surrounded Ryu as his eyes opened again.  
  
"Where am I?" There was a strange urge to go ahead into the darkness. Pulling him forward.  
  
"Ryu, it's time you knew your past."  
  
"Whose there?" lights created a path across the floor towards the pull. Ryu stood up and began walking across the floor; Images began to flood his dream. First of Chase and when they first met, then the day he saw the colony explode before him, back to the Battle of One. His memories raced back to the day he first got his sword from his parents. Then he saw things he had never "Remember" but to the day he was born and him as a blue haired infant. The images shattered around him and a figure approached from the shadows.  
  
"Hello Ryuujin, or Ryu as the humans call you for short. My name is Drizzik." As the cloaked man approached and became more visible Ryu noticed his long purple hair going back to his back over his black cloak. His reflective red eyes flashed open "Ryu, I have brought you here to tell you the truth of your life and about who you really are, and what you really are…"  
  
Before the tall man could continue Ryu felt something summoning him back to the real world.  
  
"Wait!" Drizzik beckoned.  
  
The young artist took her opportunity when it presented itself. She knelt down next to Ryuujin and kissed him.  
  
His eyes fluttered open, returning to their natural colour and he looked at her.  
  
"Daijobou ka?" she asked quickly. "What happened?"  
  
"I sneezed."  
  
Chase could imagine a dozen sweatdrops forming on her head. "Baka," she muttered and wrapped her arms around him.  
  
Chase rested her head against his chest and sighed. "There go any plans to get OWN in all this."  
  
"I'm sorry, Chase."  
  
"It's not your fault."  
  
"Chase…"  
  
She grinned. "Don't worry about it. Let's get back to the hotel before the cops come. I'm not sure how this is going to go over…"  
  
Ryu nodded and stood.  
  
The blond woman smiled, stood on her toes, and kissed him on the cheek. "Just promise that you'll never stop coming back to me from that personality."  
  
He blinked. "Okay," he answered and then pulled her close. Chase allowed herself to relax in his arms. Somehow this all felt so right…  
  
  
  
Darkness. Nothing but darkness. Chase shivered as she tried to push through the fog her mind trapped her in. Where was everyone?  
  
The silence was broken by a laugh echoing through the darkness. Not a laugh of joy. "Who are you?!" she screamed in Japanese.  
  
Victor stepped out of the darkness. "Hello there, little one."  
  
Chase glared. "Anta!"  
  
He smiled. "Don't you want to play my game, little one?"  
  
Chase lunged at him, but he seemed to fade back to the darkness he had come from. The laugh remained. Then the laugh turned to a childish giggle.  
  
"Ima nani?"  
  
A figure stepped from the darkness, but Chase could only see the silhouette. A young woman, no taller than herself, short hair and walking closer. The figure became clear and the ex-Galaxy pilot gasped. The woman that stood before her looked like the girl she had once been in the alternate world that she had learn to call home.  
  
"You really want to save your friends?" the dream asked.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
The girl laughed.  
  
Chase blinked. When she opened her eyes, she saw her friends around her. All of their eyes were hollow and empty. Dead. "MINNA-SAN!" she screamed, yet her voice did not come from her mouth. "IIE!! Masaku… Masaku…" she sobbed.  
  
"Chase?"  
  
"Chase?"  
  
Brown eyes fluttered open and she saw Ryuujin leaning over her. Chase sat up and latched onto his shirt, making sure he wasn't a dream. She sobbed openly. He sat down and held her close.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Yume," she murmured. "Just a dream."  
  
Ryuujin looked down at her face. "About?"  
  
"I… I saw all of you…dead. Watashi… Watashi…"  
  
"Shh, Chase-chan. It's okay. Don't worry about it."  
  
"You won't leave, will you Ryuujin?"  
  
"Of course not. That's a stupid question," he laughed.  
  
"Heero left. Trowa left." She looked up at him. "Please don't leave me."  
  
He pulled her close once more. "I won't leave you." 


	35. Random Insanity

Chapter Thirty-five: Random insanity  
  
A/N: Okiday, this is getting serious, so let's lighten the mood for a chapter. I know this chapter will probably make very little grammatical since, simply because I don't speak much Japanese. I try, but I have not learned it yet. _ Anyway, here's the chapter of random insanity. It has nothing to do with the story. Normal disclaimers to any anime characters that might pop up. Also, the translations are for your benefit, not poor Ryu-chan's. Bwahahahha!!!  
  
Chase: Konichi wa, minna-san! Watashi kibo ananta ga tanoshima TIME AND TIME AGAIN kore made no kokoro. Sore wa dewa mata!  
  
(Hey ya'll! I hope you enjoy TIME AND TIME AGAIN thus far. It is so long!)  
  
Ryuujin: Chase? What did you just say?  
  
Chase: Hitsujuhin watashi ripito watashijinshin? Anna-chan wakarus, ne Anna- chan?  
  
(Must I repeat myself? Anna-chan understands, ne Anna-chan?)  
  
Anna: Hai! * evil look towards Ryu* Kore wa haraikaesu no tame ni watashi no Mighty Paper Fan! MWAHAHHAHAHAHA!  
  
(Yes! This is pay back for my Mighty Paper fan!)  
  
Ryuujin: *sweatdrop * I'm not sure what you just said, but it can't be good…  
  
Xelloss: 'Allo!  
  
Ryuujin: AH! Someone speaks English! *grins *  
  
Anna: Iiiiiiiieeeeeeee!! Anta! Anta aru watshi no chosakuken no watashi no iro! Ataeru sore senaka!!  
  
(Nooooo! You! You have my copywrite to my colour! Give it back!)  
  
Xelloss: *waggles finger * Iie, Anna-san! Sore wa watashi no iro.  
  
(No Miss Anna! It's my colour.)  
  
Chase: Baka.  
  
Anna: *seething *  
  
Ryuujin: What the heck are you people talking about?!  
  
Chase: Ima no murasaki.  
  
(Colour purple.)  
  
Anna: Mazaku no baka!!  
  
Xelloss: *rips open dimension hole *Ja ne!  
  
Anna: *blasts open the portal *  
  
Ryuujin: *sweatdrop * I didn't know she could do that…  
  
Chase: Kore wa nai eki…  
  
(this is no good…)  
  
*portal explodes and everything goes black *  
  
Chase: *brings match from Bottomless Pit of Arsenal * Nani?  
  
*from somewhere in the place * LIGHTING!  
  
Chase: Lina!  
  
Ryuujin: Who?  
  
Lina: Konichi wa, Chase! Doko ga watashitashi?  
  
(Hey, Chase! Where are we?)  
  
Chase: Watashi wa nai tashika.  
  
(I'm not sure.)  
  
Kenshin: Chase-dono!  
  
Chase: WAI! Kenshin-kun!! Karou-san, Yahiko-chan, Sano-kun, soshite Megumi- san koko de?  
  
( Are Karou, Yahiko, Sano, and Megumi here?)  
  
Kenshin: Hai de gazaru.  
  
(Yes, that they are.)  
  
Yahiko: Ore wa NAI hitosu kodomo!!  
  
(I am NOT a little kid!!)  
  
Chase: *grins * Hai, hai, Yahiko, watashi shitteiru.  
  
(Yes, yes, Yahiko, I know.)  
  
Ryuujin: *sweatdrop * Help…  
  
Anna: *stops pummeling Xelloss and turns toward Chase * Ne, Chase-chan, sore wa Miaka?  
  
(Isn't that Miaka?)  
  
Chase: Sazaku senshi sohite miko! Nuriko Sama!!  
  
(Suzaku warriors and priestess! Nuriko!!)  
  
Nuriko: Konichi wa, Chase-chan.  
  
Inu Yasha: *from behind Chase taps her head * Oi! Shojo!  
  
(Hey! Girl!)  
  
Chase: *twitch * Kogome? Onegai?  
  
(Please?)  
  
Kogome: Hai! Inu Yasha, osawa!  
  
(Yes! Inu Yasha, sit!)  
  
Inu Yasha: *fwap *  
  
Chase: Xelloss! Nani de suka?!  
  
(Xelloss! What is this?!)  
  
Filia: Namigomi no baka. Anta itsumo riyu kon'nan!  
  
(Stupid namigomi. You always cause trouble!)  
  
Xelloss: Ore wa mujaki… kore jikan…  
  
(I'm innocent… this time…)  
  
Amelia: Xelloss-san! Watashi jokyu anta selto ananta no machigatteirus migi! Sore ni, watashi yokyu anta yameru ananta no ju'aku hohos soshite-  
  
(Mr. Xelloss! I demand you set your wrongs right! Furthermore, I demand you stop your evil ways and-)  
  
Chase: *bops Amelia over the head * Watashitashi aru kiku anta, soshite watashitashi suru nai shinpa! Anou…Damede!  
  
(We all hear you and we don't care! So.. SHUT UP!)  
  
Amelia: Chase-san! Ananta wa ni tasuke ano gawa no aku!?  
  
(Miss Chase! Are you to take the side of evil?)  
  
Ryuujin: WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE RAMBLING ABOUT!!?! LET ME OUT!!!  
  
Chase: Watashi wa tsukareta no ananta no seigi wamekitaterus!  
  
(I'm tired of your justice rants!)  
  
Ima, Xel, okuru minna senaka ni watashitashi jishin no sekais.  
  
(Now, Xel, send everyone back to our own worlds.)  
  
Xelloss: Iie.  
  
Chase/Anna/everyone but Ryu because he doesn't understand any of this: DOSHITE?!?!??!  
  
Xelloss: *grins and waggles finger * Sore wa… himitsu Des!  
  
Filia: Ananta niteiru ni miru minna-san higuisha?!  
  
(You want to see everyone suffer?)  
  
Xelloss: Anou… Hai… demo, sore wa nai ano riyu.  
  
(Well, yes, but that's not the reason.)  
  
Kenshin: Sono toki… doshite de gazaru ka?  
  
(then why?)  
  
Xelloss: *grins and looks back at Ryu * To annoy him.  
  
Ryuujin: *beats the trickster priest until he lets them all out *  
  
(back in the normal world)  
  
Ryuujin: Who WAS that?!  
  
Anna: A friend of Chase's.  
  
Chase: *innocent grin * 


	36. If You Cut All Ties, Don't Hurt Yourself

1 Chapter Thirty-Six: If You Cut All Ties, Don't Hurt Yourself  
  
The next morning dawned –artificially at least- in underground Tokyo to find all four ex-soldiers already up and about. They had stayed in Mirek's guest suite, which was complete with three rooms, two bathrooms, and a kitchen.  
  
Anna stood in her bathrobe at the sink in the kitchen, sipping a mug of tea. She and Mirek had talked some yesterday, but mostly they had done research into OWN and Victor's operations. She knew the serious, personal talk would come today but it would have to wait until after her appointment. Cavel bounced into the room all smiles.  
  
"We had a great time last night! We found a game place that had a restaurant and everything, Anna-chan. We played all sorts of games and won all sorts of prizes. I even met this really cute chick, and she's about my age, too." He grinned.  
  
Anna laughed. "I'm glad you had fun. Had to keep the old man on his toes, ne?" she teased.  
  
"Yup. He was real tense at the beginning, but he loosened up. I'm going to go get ready. They have a zoo down here, did you know? I never got to go to one as a kid." He dashed out of the room to get ready.  
  
"I don't think I've ever seen a kid have such and overnight change. You could tell yesterday that he was still very much in the soldier frame of mind. He's becoming a real kid again." Mirek said, coming in and pouring himself a cup of coffee.  
  
"I know. It's good for him. If worse comes to worse, and we have to fight full scale in this world, I want him to stay here. They won't find this place. He's been through a lot, and he could lead a normal life down here." Anna said.  
  
"That can be arranged for him, don't worry." He paused. "So we know they're building a gundam."  
  
"Yeah. The Gundam Ultimatum, wasn't it? I wish we could have gotten more information. Its name and the fact that OWN's been mining large amounts of gundainium for the past five years isn't helpful." She said.  
  
"I wouldn't be worrying about their gundam right now."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, they're building it, or it's already been completed. We found that out on the laptop last night. The question is what are you going to fight back with? There are only two gundams left in existence, the Zero and the Sandrock. And we found out that in the condition they're in now, they'd never hold up to the fire power of this new one." Mirek said.  
  
Anna shrugged. "I have no earthly idea. From when we are now, gundainium isn't discovered for another what, five hundred years? So we aren't building one in this time. What is the alternative? Go to the future and build one. For the sake of argument, let's say we go to the future to build a gundam. What do we find when we get there? That OWN has had ten years to gather all the obvious gundainium fields and search out the harder to find bits in space. That makes it really tough to get our hands on enough to produce a full-fledged gundam. Let's say we get enough. We don't know how to design it to combat whatever Trowa's cooked up. He's had a decade to plan this thing, and he's got a heck of an analytical mind, so there won't be any flaws on this baby. That means we're pretty much screwed."  
  
"You aren't very optimistic before you have caffeine in the morning, are you?" Mirek said dryly.  
  
Anna glared at him over her mug. "I'll work on it."  
  
He laughed gently. Anna brushed a stray curl out of her face and dumped the rest of her drink in the sink. Mirek watched her as she rinsed the cup out and stuck it in the dish drainer mindlessly. He smiled. She turned on him.  
  
"I'm going to get dressed and go above. I have some business to take care of, but I'll be back before lunch. You want to go out somewhere?" she asked.  
  
"Sure," he said without missing a beat.  
  
"I'll see you around noon then." She called as she disappeared into the bedroom.  
  
Mirek arched an eyebrow. "Business, ne, Anna-chan? I wonder what you're up too."  
  
Anna pulled on jeans and a blouse and pinned her hair up. She went to her bag and rifled through it until she stopped and triumphantly pulled out a pile of paperwork. She shoved the papers into her purse.  
  
"I'm leaving! See you guys later!" she shouted and headed up the staircase she'd come down the night before.  
  
"Where's she going?" Wufei asked Mirek.  
  
Mirek shrugged. "I have no idea. I have some business to take care of, so you guys have fun and we'll see you later."  
  
"Sure thing." Wufei said, and watched the older man leave.  
  
Cavel came back to the kitchen, now completely ready. "Where'd they go?"  
  
"Upstairs, so to speak. There's something up with the two of them." Wufei said, half to himself, half to the boy.  
  
"Maybe they're involved." Cavel said, grabbing an apple out of the refrigerator.  
  
"You ready?"  
  
Cavel chewed down the rest of the apple quickly. "Uh-huh!"  
  
Anna emerged in downtown Tokyo and she took a deep breath. It felt good to be back. The only thing that didn't feel so good was what she was planning to do.  
  
She immersed herself into the crowd, drifting wherever the flow of movement took her. When she spotted a police officer, she broke away and flagged him down.  
  
"Onegai iidasu ware doko kouhantei eizoubutsu rokeeshon?" she asked.  
  
He gave her the directions to the court building, for which she thanked him. She found the building without much trouble, and slipped inside among the businessmen. Anna saw the receptionist and walked over to her.  
  
"Hi, I'm looking to get a," she searched for the word, "shissousenkoku?"  
  
The woman nodded and replied in Japanese. "Yes, that's the term. Do you have proof?"  
  
"I have a signed affidavit." Anna replied.  
  
The woman nodded again and handed her a slip of paper. "Take this to the fifth floor and the second office to the right. He'll take care of it."  
  
"Domo arigato." Anna smiled and thanked her and headed for the fifth floor.  
  
She gently rapped on the second office door to the right and waited to be called in. When she heard enter, she stepped inside and shut the door behind her.  
  
"What can I do for you?" he asked.  
  
Anna held out the paperwork for him. "I'm looking to get a shissousenkoku and an annulment for my marriage."  
  
"Is the shissousenkoku for your husband, Mrs. Maxwell?" he asked, reading her name of the papers.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"How long has he been missing?"  
  
"It will be eleven years this month."  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "You were married at fifteen?"  
  
"It was an arranged marriage and it was in southern Europe." Anna lied.  
  
The man nodded. "I see." He sat down at his computer and typed Duo Maxwell's name into the computer. He frowned. "We have no record of this man."  
  
"My husband was involved with the American government from a very young age. His parents were agents and their cover was blown, so there are no records on him." She said, hoping he'd get the hint.  
  
He glanced at her. "Of course." He switched to a different computer and pulled some pages up. "You're an AC girl, aren't you?"  
  
"You could say that." Anna agreed.  
  
"Ah, there we are." He looked at her, surprise forming on his face. "You were married to a gundam pilot."  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you have reason to believe that he's dead?"  
  
"There's a signed affidavit with those papers from a person who believed he witnessed my husbands death."  
  
The man skimmed over the account. "An OWN soldier?"  
  
"Ex-OWN. He's in my custody."  
  
"Very well, Mrs. Maxwell, I see no reason not to grant you what you want. The government will recognize your missing husband as legally dead when I issue the shissousenkoku." He singed several other papers and handed them over to her to sign. She did, and gave them back.  
  
"Very well. You're marriage is annulled and I pronounce you registered in the system as a single woman."  
  
"Thank you." She stood to go.  
  
"Give my regards to Mirek, won't you?"  
  
She grinned at him. "Of course. Thank you for your understanding."  
  
He nodded. "Good day, Miss Russell."  
  
"Good day."  
  
Anna stepped out of the building and headed back to Mirek's. She fingered the wedding band on her right hand before pulling it off and dropping it in her purse. The time had come for her to move on from the past.  
  
After she'd walked two blocks, a figure fell into step beside her. Anna wasn't surprised. "So, what do you think of me and what I did?"  
  
Mirek raised an eyebrow. "I think it was a little hasty, Anna. He died and came back once before."  
  
She looked up at him. He stood four inches above her five foot eight, and he was broad shouldered. His dark brown hair was longer than average, but not long enough to have to tie back. His brown eyes gazed steadily at her.  
  
"I don't believe you just said that to me. It took him ten years to come back last time and that was through Dr. J's intervention. What am I supposed to do? Wait another ten years? That's pushing my proverbial ticking clock, isn't it?"  
  
"Maybe it wouldn't take as long." He suggested.  
  
She stopped and put a hand on his arm. "Mirek, Duo is dead. He is not coming back this time. I can't wait for a fantasy forever. You know that."  
  
He pulled her back into a walk and draped an arm across her shoulders. "I know that. But what if he's alive and it's another one of Victor's games?"  
  
"So what if he's alive?" she murmured and watched the ground.  
  
"You're protecting yourself, aren't you?" Mirek asked.  
  
"I am. I have the right, don't I? I was faithful to a dead man for almost ten years. You want to know why I was coming back last weekend?"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I wanted to know if your offer was still open to me, or if I'd ruined that."  
  
He'd led into a rose garden that had streams running through it. He sighed as they traversed the paths. "You're a very good friend to me, Anna. You've been the best friend I've had since I was very little and the last fight we had was mostly my fault."  
  
"Mostly?" she grinned.  
  
He smiled smugly. "It takes two to tango and brawl, doesn't it?"  
  
"I suppose it does." She agreed.  
  
They stopped on a bridge that over looked a small brook. He picked a white rose from one of the bushes near and handed it to her. "My offer is always open to you, tamadachi."  
  
"I know you're serious if you're using Japanese." She murmured. He smiled.  
  
"Would we live here?" she asked.  
  
"In the rose garden? We might have to get a special permit for that." He teased.  
  
Anna rolled her eyes. "I mean in Tokyo."  
  
He shrugged. "That's up to you. We can go wherever you like. I was actually looking at apartments in Chicago several months ago."  
  
She furrowed her brow. "What would you do in Chicago?"  
  
His grin broadened. "Anything I wanted. As long as it didn't involve McDonalds, ne?"  
  
Anna laughed. "No." She paused. "Were you looking at one bedroom apartments or two?"  
  
"One for the moment. But I promised, so not permanently."  
  
"You make it hard for a girl to refuse."  
  
He thought for a moment before constructing his sentence. "Watashi suru sore yori anata.  
  
She clasped his hand that was on her shoulder. "Would you be happy though? I want you to be happy, Mirek."  
  
He studied her profile for a long moment. "I can see a future where I live in a house in the suburbs with two cars, a dog, no picket fence, kids that look like us and a wife that looks amazingly similar to you. And in this future I am very happy."  
  
"Loved but not in love." Anna said.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Can we have a cat?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I'll marry you." Anna said.  
  
"Should I be worried?"  
  
She glanced up at him. "What do you mean?"  
  
"You just annulled your last marriage and your agreeing to marry me?"  
  
"He's been dead to me for a long time, Mirek. When we were together for that one day in the last week, it was like a dream. And then I woke to a harsher reality." She patted his hand. "And then there was you, my friend."  
  
"I hope I live up to your expectations. We could use the same wedding ring you have." He teased.  
  
She pulled her fan out of her purse and bopped him over the head with it.  
  
As they were leaving the garden, they passed a telephone pole littered with flyers. Mirek didn't pay much attention, but Anna stopped and pulled one off.  
  
"Two days only, manga convention in the Anime Center. Featured 10/15 only is celebrated artist Elise Thate." Anna read. "Leave it to Chase to hold a manga convention in the middle of a war." She added.  
  
"That was yesterday, wasn't it?"  
  
"Yeah. She'll still be here." Anna said, looking around.  
  
"We should get back to the underground if you don't want her to find you. She might already get a hold of the fact you're in Tokyo if she gets wind of the fact that your marriage was just annulled." Mirek said.  
  
"She shouldn't have any reason to hack into marriage files in the future, Mirek. Besides, I thought you said he was confidential."  
  
"He is. Chase is not."  
  
"True. Let's get back."  
  
They reached Mirek's inn and vanished inside.  
  
  
  
Jack juggled his bag as he fished around for his keys in his pocket. He'd been given the morning and early afternoon off, so he decided to do a little shopping for civilian clothing. He had a feeling Trowa was going to make an unexpected move, and he wanted to be ready for it. He'd follow the older man to the ends of the earth and back.  
  
Jack Avis had been orphaned when he was six years old, and he was left to the care of the circus. It was hard for him, because no one had time to take of him, just to train him for his part. He'd befriended the Silencer when he had acquired amnesia during the Eve war, again after the Eve war, and after the war with Marimeia. When Trowa had come back after the war with Marimeia, he took an interest in the younger boy and had taught him a lot. When Jack heard that Trowa was going to join a suspicious group that called themselves OWN, he begged Trowa to take him with him. Trowa had eventually relented and they both joined OWN.  
  
He finally found his key and shoved it in the lock to his quarters. As he was turning it, he saw that light was spilling out from under the door. Jack was sure he'd turned off all the lights when he left. He sat the bag down and drew his gun. He finished unlocking the door, pushed it open, and barged in. He had the intruder in sight and his finger tightened on the trigger until he saw the glint of long bangs under the light. He sighed and lowered his weapon.  
  
"You trying to get yourself killed, Trowa-kun?" he murmured, going back out for his bag.  
  
Trowa said nothing; he didn't even turn to look at Jack. He came back in and sat his bag down to the side as the door closed behind him.  
  
"Trowa? What happened? Daijoubu?"  
  
Trowa rolled his neck until it popped. "Nothing happened, Jack. I just wanted to see you when you got home." His tone was totally cold.  
  
Jack watched him warily. Trowa only acted like this on a mission or when he was angry with one of the new cadets…or maybe him. "Did I do something?"  
  
Trowa finally glanced at him. "Of course not, Jack."  
  
Jack. First name always meant good terms. "You want to go grab some lunch then? First afternoon off we've had in a while." Jack asked. There was still something bothering him about this.  
  
"I'd like to. Let me go change and I'll meet you downstairs." Trowa said, his voice going flat again. He stood from where he was sitting and was almost to the door when Jack noticed a small discoloring in his shirt. It was darker than it should be normally. Jack reached out and clasped Trowa's shoulder. Trowa grimaced and stopped before facing his subordinate.  
  
Jack pulled his hand towards him and looked down at it. His eyes grew wide as they took in the sight. His fingers were covered in a sticky crimson substance that could only be blood. He looked up at Trowa with fear and concern in his eyes. "You were shot," he breathed.  
  
"It was an accident. It's not that important. I'll have it looked at before we go." Trowa brushed it off. He tried to leave before Jack figured out what happened.  
  
Jack grabbed Trowa's hand, smearing it with blood. "Who did this to you?" he demanded angrily.  
  
"It was an accident, Jack." Trowa repeated. He found himself pinned by the younger man's blue-grey glare. He wasn't buying it.  
  
"Why were you here before you got that looked at?" Jack asked. His voice was dangerously quiet.  
  
Trowa realized his mistake too late. He couldn't reply without lying to his friend. Jack saw the look of defeat in Trowa's eyes.  
  
"It was Victor, wasn't it? One of his games? He shot you and threatened me, didn't he? He used me against you." Jack growled.  
  
Trowa paused, unsure of how his protégé would react with the answer. Jack waited.  
  
"Yes," Trowa murmured.  
  
Jack let out a low curse and stormed out of the room, Trowa on his heels. Jack had never been so angry in all of his life. Never, never had he been used to get somebody hurt, and as he thought about, he'd never been used. Once he got his hands on Victor, there would be no mercy. Vaguely he realized that Trowa was calling after him, but didn't acknowledge him until the older man grabbed him.  
  
"Jack! Stop!" Trowa demanded.  
  
Jack wrenched out of his grasp.  
  
"Jack, please," Trowa gasped, holding his bleeding shoulder.  
  
Jack heard the actual pleading tone to his voice and faced him. "Why? We always knew this guy was crazy, Trowa! Look what he did to you! And for what?"  
  
Trowa grabbed his shoulders and shook him, ignoring the pain in his arm. "For you, you idiot. How many people do you think I'd stand and take a bullet for?" he shouted.  
  
Jack froze. "Stand? Stand and take a bullet for?" he repeated in a mumble.  
  
Trowa lowered his voice. "Victor called me into his office and started alluding to the fact he was watching you and could have you dead in a second. I tried going at him, but he was ready with gun in hand. He said if I fought him, you would die. So he shot me and I left to go find you. He told me if I left the base you wouldn't be coming back. There was no way in hell I was going to risk that, Jack. It's my fault you're a part of this anyway."  
  
Jack was gaping at him. "You stood there and let him shoot you. Are you out of your mind?"  
  
"What do you think I was going to do? Move and have you show up on my doorstep in a body bag?" Trowa hissed.  
  
"What if he killed you?"  
  
"He didn't."  
  
Jack was speechless. Trowa cupped the side of his face.  
  
"I've known you since you were nine years old, Jack. I can't let anything happen to you now. I'm going to get you out of this, Jack. I've got to get you out of this."  
  
Jack didn't move, still too stunned to form anything other than a mental fragment. After a moment Trowa grabbed his arm and was pulling him back towards his quarters. Once inside, Trowa issued one command.  
  
"Pack."  
  
"Pack?"  
  
"Yes. Whatever can fit in one bag. I'm taking you to Tokyo, where you'll be safe from Victor until I can deal with him."  
  
"No, Trowa, I'm not going to leave you here to his whimsies."  
  
"Don't argue with me. Pack."  
  
"Where are you going to hide me in Tokyo?" Jack protested.  
  
"I don't know yet. But it's a big place and Victor won't look for you in the past."  
  
"The past! Trowa, that's insane! If anything happens to you I won't be able to get back!"  
  
"Maybe that's a good thing." Trowa murmured, throwing things into a bag since Jack was still standing there aghast.  
  
Trowa zipped the bag shut and pitched it to Jack, who caught it last second. Jack then found himself being dragged down the hall again towards Trowa's quarters. The taller man pulled him into his room and grabbed a bag of his own and the laptop. He booted it up, and got ready.  
  
"You're still bleeding," Jack reminded him.  
  
"I know someone who can look at it there." Trowa said. He activated the program and the room was emptied of persons.  
  
Frowning slightly, Heero Yuy watched the program movement on his own laptop. He hadn't wanted to do this in the past timeframe, but it would have to do. He too disappeared in a bright flash of light, on the trail of his best friends killer.  
  
Victor was also watching the movement of Trowa, Jack, and less recently Anna. He tapped his fingers along the edge of his desk. The game was sliding out of his control, and he knew it. His superiors had expressed their displeasure with his handling of power.  
  
He fingered the new scar running down his cheek. The point of playing the game his way was so that he did not loose. He had already learned that he was to be 'let go' within the next week, which in his mind left him one option. He was going to launch one final, massive assault against his two main opponents, those two who had outwitted him. If he was going to die, he was not going to do it by the hands of his employers. Oh, no. If he was going to die, he was going to do it his way, and take his challengers with him.  
  
  
  
"Anna, come look at this." Mirek called. He sounded serious.  
  
She breezed in, looking slightly disgruntled. She hated playing chess with Wufei simply because she had never won. "What is it?"  
  
"There were two jumps made using the transport technology."  
  
"How can you tell?"  
  
"Because I have that technology as well. I don't have it in a laptop, but it's what's used to get people from the future to here. When Dr. J sent me here, he also gave me this program. It's a tracking device. I can watch for any jumps from any computer that has that capability." He answered.  
  
"So were you watching my jumps to the future and back?"  
  
"No. I have to have an exact time frame, unless it's on open run which shows me every jump. Open run takes up a lot of energy from our computer systems, so I don't do it often."  
  
Anna frowned. "Two jumps from the future? From the same or different machines?"  
  
"Different."  
  
"Can you tell from where?"  
  
"I can tell you from when."  
  
"When?"  
  
Mirek double clicked on an icon. "They both came from AC 209, one right after the other. The first jump contained two person codes, and the second one only one."  
  
Anna looked confused. "Check from yesterday morning to the jump time today. Are there any jumps from this time to that?"  
  
Mirek typed the times in and waited. "No."  
  
"Then it wasn't Chase. She was at the convention. I don't even know if she's got access to the program right now since I took it. That means it must have Trowa. But who would be with him?" Anna wondered out loud.  
  
Mirek shrugged. "Ask the kid. He would know."  
  
"Yeah. Hey, Sparky!"  
  
Cavel stuck his head in, having just gotten back from the zoo. "Yeah, Anna?"  
  
"If Trowa went anywhere, say a time jump, and took someone with him, who would it be?" she asked.  
  
"Jack Avis." He replied instantly. "They go back a ways, Jack told me."  
  
"He was the guy with him the other night."  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"Where did they go, Mirek?"  
  
"You mean location?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Mirek again typed something in, and the computer pulled it up. "I could only get a general area, but you're not going to like it. They came here, to Tokyo."  
  
Her head snapped up. "Trowa's in Tokyo?"  
  
"It would appear that way."  
  
"Crap. And the other jump took place in less than a minute after what we assume is Trowa. Who would be following him that closely?"  
  
"I have no idea. I can tell you it's a prototype computer, because I can't track a serial number on it."  
  
"A prototype?" A thought occurred to her. "Wufei! Where is my phone?" she cried, dashing out of the room. Mirek and Cavel followed her.  
  
"You're phone? It's in my bag." Wufei answered from his room. He appeared in the hall, phone in hand. Anna snatched it from him with a small glare, and dialed a number from memory. As it was ringing, she looked at Wufei again.  
  
"Does Chase know I was Hoshimawari Mei?"  
  
He nodded.  
  
"Crap." She was about to pick up when a light male voice answered.  
  
"Hello?" Quatre said. He had picked it up, because he had no idea where Chase was.  
  
"Quatre?"  
  
"Yes. Anna?"  
  
"Hai! Daijoubu?"  
  
Quatre smiled. "Hai, daijoubu. Anata?"  
  
"Daijoubu, arigato. I have a question, Quatre."  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
"Is Heero with you?"  
  
"No, I'm afraid not," the blonde answered, concern tinting his voice.  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"We don't know. He took a prototype laptop and jumped."  
  
Anna put her hand over the reciever. "It's Heero following Trowa." She announced to the three men who were gathered around her.  
  
"Anna, I'm so sorry about Duo," Quatre said softly.  
  
"It's okay, Quatre. It's not the first time." Anna replied with a small smile. She frowned as the pieces suddenly clicked in her head. "Quatre, is Ryuujin with you?"  
  
"He is, I don't know if he's here at the hotel or not. Where are you, Anna?"  
  
"Closer than you think, but farther away than I like." Anna said with a sigh. "When you see Ryuujin, give him the number of my phone, will you? I need to talk to him."  
  
"You sound serious." Quatre said.  
  
"It is. It is. Talk to you later, Quatre. Oh, buddy? Don't tell her I called, okay?"  
  
"Anna,"  
  
"Promise me, Quat, please?"  
  
Quatre paused. "All right."  
  
"You're an angel, babe. See you soon." Anna hung up.  
  
"Well?" Mirek asked.  
  
"Heero has a prototype. He used a day and a half ago, maybe. Cavel told me that Heero witnessed Duo's death. If Heero is following Trowa, it's only for one reason." Anna said slowly.  
  
"To kill him." Wufei filled in.  
  
"What about Jack?" Cavel asked.  
  
"If he gets in the way," Wufei trailed off.  
  
"That's what I'm afraid of. Once I talk to Ryuujin, I'll know for sure." Anna said. 


	37. Early Mornings

1.1 Chapter Thirty-seven: Early Mornings  
  
(A/N: 'Allo, minna-san! I just wanted to say domo arigatou for the reviews we've been getting! * happy Chase-chan* They like our story, Anna-chan! Lol ^_^ )  
  
Chase's brown eyes fluttered open as the early morning light flooded into the room. (A/N: I suppose this is backtracking slightly in time, but oh well.) She looked up to see Ryuujin resting beside her. Her mind raced to recall what had happened. She relaxed once more when the events came to mind.  
  
She looked up at the sleeping swordsman and smiled. He looked so peaceful and so innocent in his sleep. A blush crept to her cheeks. Thankfully she didn't expect Heero to walk in and get the wrong impression.  
  
She noticed for the first time that Ryuujin's arm was draped over her shoulders, holding her protectively. She looked past him at the time. It was too early to be up and going…  
  
"Ryu?" she whispered.  
  
The blue haired man stirred but did not wake.  
  
"Ryuujin?" she called just a little louder.  
  
His reflective blue eyes opened slightly. He looked puzzled for a moment, then realized he must have fallen asleep after Chase the night before, right after her dream.  
  
The blond woman sat up and stretched. "I guess I fell asleep last night," she mumbled. "Gomen ne."  
  
Ryu nodded and stood.  
  
The small artist rolled her head back until her neck popped. She glanced toward the window then toward the door. "Something's not right."  
  
The blue haired swordsman gave her an odd look.  
  
"Intuition."  
  
"Paranoid?" Ryu asked with a smirk.  
  
"Damede. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get dressed." She watched him leave the room then grabbed her tank top and jeans from the chair.  
  
She walked out of the room after dressing and to the door. "Tell Quatre and the rest of them that I went for a walk. I need some time alone."  
  
Ryuujin nodded wordlessly and watched the young assassin leave the hotel room.  
  
Chase walked down the streets of Tokyo. Something still felt wrong. Her brown eyes caught movement behind her and her senses jumped to life. It was early. No one would be on their way to work right now.  
  
A young man walked some way behind her, hands stuffed deep in his pockets and eyes trained on the ground he was walking on. Blond. He looked familiar.  
  
She changed her destination suddenly and headed down an other street. The man turned with her, still a ways back. She clenched her teeth in annoyance. It was far too early for this.  
  
An other turn and she sped her pace up. The tips of her fingers felt for the gun latched onto the inside of her jacket. She shoved her hands into her pockets and pulled her old gloves out. Perhaps they could keep her from staining her hands once again…  
  
Chase turned into an ally and stopped. She whirled around and watched, one gloved hand on her gun. Mentally she took an inventory of the weapons she had on her at the moment. Gun inside her jacket, two small knives hidden on the inside of either boot, and her Bottomless Pit of Arsenal hanging off her left shoulder. A smirk crossed her lips as she waited for the man to follow.  
  
He did. He rounded the corner no more than a minute after she had. He seemed slightly surprised the see her waiting for him. "So you are not to be underestimated, I hear," he said. His accent was thick. German accent. So that's where she'd seen him.  
  
"I'd say the people who got away would say that, but not many people get away."  
  
"Cocky."  
  
"Confident."  
  
The German smirked and advanced, pulling out a gun in the process. Chase jumped into motion, rushing towards him and to the side when he fired. She jumped up and over, using his shoulders to balance her flip, and pushing him off his own balance as she did so. He stumbled forward.  
  
The blond woman turned quickly and her well-placed kick was caught in his hands. "I have had training, Ms. Yuy," he said.  
  
"I'm sure," she responded. "So I guess this means I'm going to have to work at this?"  
  
"I'm afraid so." Perfect English, even if it was rather thick.  
  
Chase pulled her booted foot out of his grasp and jumped back. She found herself up against a much bigger man. She looked up. "Shimatta…"  
  
She ducked down quickly as the man lunged at her. He was slow, she noted, but rather large compared to her slight form. VERY large…  
  
Ducking again, she dropped all the way down and brought her foot out to bring him down. She found herself unable to trip him and she stopped, looking up. "Not good…"  
  
The man smiled evilly and reached down, grabbing the young assassin by the collar of her jacket, pulling her upwards violently. She gasped as her feet left the ground.  
  
The man flung her back and she felt her body collide into the hard brick building. Her head swam as she tried to keep the darkness back for the moment. Focus.  
  
The first man, looking small compared to the second, grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her up.  
  
"Big mistake, boyo," she muttered. She threw an elbow into his ribs, catching him completely off his guard and he dropped her, clutching his ribs. She took the opportunity to bring the butt of her gun into the man's head, knocking him out.  
  
"Now time to deal with the slightly… larger one…"  
  
The larger man walked towards her and she suddenly wished she had one of the pilots with her. Somehow it seemed that even if this was one on one, it wasn't a fair fight.  
  
"Oh well," she muttered with a shrug, "I can take him." For some reason this statement sounded more like she was convincing herself of this. "Let's just do this the old fashion way," she muttered and leveled her gun. She pulled the trigger and blinked when he disappeared.  
  
"Behind you," he whispered in German.  
  
Chase had a only a moment for her mind to registered that he was faster than he looked. She felt herself rolling out into the street and skidding to a stop. She landed on her shoulder. "Itaii."  
  
She had not time to stop as the man came toward her. She balanced up on her feet, still crouched, and flipped backwards as she stood. She landed on her feet, gun drawn. Good thing she'd gotten up early for this little walk.  
  
She fired three times, the last bullet connecting. She looked at the man. No effect? Not good. "Normal people feel pain, buddy," she muttered. "I shoulda figured out a long time ago to stay away from big guys in trench coats…"  
  
He advanced on her before she saw what was happening and she found herself against the building on the opposite side of the street she had been on. Darkness would have closed in around her if several rounds of gunfire hadn't made her jump. The man in front of her collapsed to the ground and she saw Heero Yuy standing behind him.  
  
"I didn't know you were in Tokyo."  
  
"Hn." Heero walked over and reached out his hand. Chase took it and pulled herself up. She then took hold of his sleeve, dragging him into an ally so that any early passerbyers wouldn't notice them.  
  
She wiped a bit of blood from her face and glared.  
  
"What?"  
  
Chase took a deep breath and then growled. "Damn you, Yuy!" she yelled. "What the hell were you thinking going off like that on an untested system? Are you just that stupid?! Dammit! Do you know how worried I was? I came back to the flat and Quatre said you'd disappeared like that! Do you just not care about anyone but yourself?"  
  
Heero listened as she ranted for a few more moments and then she stopped, turned her brown eyes to him and waited. He said nothing as he reached up and wiped more blood off her face. "You should have Anna look at that cut if you found her."  
  
"I haven't found Anna and the blasted cut doesn't matter!" she screamed.  
  
Heero sighed heavily. "I have a mission, Chase. I-"  
  
"Damn the mission, Yuy!" she growled. "What would I have done if I'd lost you? Huh? Do you know the emotional strain you've put me through? Again!" She through up her hands in the air and turned away. "We're staying in a hotel down the street and a few blocks over. If you ever need back up, call us. Though you seem to be doing just fine by yourself," she hissed as she stormed down the street. What a day this was starting out as…  
  
"Why won't he call?" Anna exclaimed, pacing the kitchen in their hotel room.  
  
"Maybe he hasn't gotten back yet." Wufei said. "Calm down. The worst that could happen is that Heero will kill Trowa."  
  
Anna threw a pillow at him. "Baka. There's something totally screwball with this whole thing. I don't like it."  
  
"What do you mean?" Cavel asked, flopping down on the floor in the living room.  
  
Anna leaned against the wall. "When I first found out that it was Trowa behind what was going on, all I could see was my personal fury. But now that I've stepped back from that, there's just something that doesn't seem right. Instinct."  
  
"You mean maybe he's not really working for OWN?" the boy asked.  
  
"Or he has ulterior motives for doing so." Anna agreed.  
  
Mirek knocked on the door before opening it. "Any word from Ryuujin?"  
  
"Not yet." Wufei answered.  
  
Mirek nodded. "If we don't hear from him within the hour, I think we should start looking for Barton and this boy of his. We can't have them getting killed here. There won't be any records of them in this year, and it will get the media's attention."  
  
"Meg knows about it, I'm sure." Anna said. "I made a few calls. She's the one who did Duo's autopsy."  
  
"Cause of death?" Mirek asked.  
  
"One bullet wound to the chest. Trowa's still a hell of a shot." Anna said.  
  
"Mirek, what side were you on during the wars?" Wufei asked.  
  
"I worked with a group on L2 against OZ. I did mostly computer work because I was seriously injured when Treize's takeover first began." He answered.  
  
"Why are we waiting for Ryuujin for anyway?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Because, babe, you were there when Duo was murdered, but you didn't hear what Heero's reaction was, ne?" Anna asked.  
  
"I heard him yell, and after it was……over… he stalked off. But I didn't hear anything." Cavel replied.  
  
"I need to know what his reaction was. Sometimes, during the Eve war, Heero would go on a rampage and would kill anyone who got in his way. If he's like that now, we have a definite problem." The young woman said.  
  
Mirek leaned against the wall. "You're being awfully calm about all of this. Your husband was just murdered, and now you're protecting his murderer?"  
  
Anna fixed him with a glare. "How could you say something like that? My husband wasn't just murdered. A perfect stranger that I was married to a decade ago died. I'm not concerned about Trowa Barton. I couldn't care less. I'm concerned for Jack Avis."  
  
"I know you're worried about Jack Avis. I still think you're acting strange about Duo's death."  
  
"I wouldn't argue with her. You won't win." Wufei said mildly.  
  
"Damade, Fei-chan." She turned back to Mirek. "Why are you bringing this up now?"  
  
Mirek switched from English to German. "Because I reserved the banquet hall for tomorrow and I don't plan on being stood up at the altar. It would emotionally scar me."  
  
The abrupt language change startled Anna, and it took her a minute to translate. "Keep it up and I just might leave you there." She replied in German.  
  
"English, please. Or Japanese." Wufei asked.  
  
"Mirek doesn't speak Japanese." Anna sighed, running a hand through her hair.  
  
The phone rang, and all four of them leaped for it on instinct. They crashed into the table it was on, sending them and the phone to the floor. Anna landed on top of it and extracted herself from the mass of bodies on the carpet.  
  
"Ryuu?" she asked hopefully.  
  
"Anna," his voice said.  
  
"No, I'm Anna. You're Ryuu, right? It's been a while." She could almost see him rolling his eyes.  
  
"Where are you?" he asked.  
  
"Don't ask me that. If I wanted you to know I'd tell you. I need you to tell me about Heero."  
  
"What about Yuy?" his tone shifted into assassin mode.  
  
"What was his reaction to Duo's death?"  
  
There was a pause on the other end of the phone. "Maybe you should talk to Chase."  
  
"I don't want to talk to Chase. Chase wasn't even there. What was his reaction, Ryuujin?"  
  
"Pain, anger, what are you looking for?"  
  
Anna bit her lip. "Revenge. Rage."  
  
"He vowed to get Trowa, other than that there wasn't anything visible." Ryuujin said. "I can go find Chase."  
  
"Thanks for telling me, Ryuu. Ja ne." Anna said, hanging up the phone.  
  
Ryuujin glared at the dial tone. "Women." He muttered.  
  
Anna turned to the three men. "We need to find Heero Yuy, and we need to do it now."  
  
(A/N: If you look really hard, there are a couple of Weiss Kreuz references in this chapter. ^_~) 


	38. And Flights of Angels

Chapter Thirty-eight: And Flights of Angels  
  
  
  
"So we're fairly sure that he's the one that jumped." Mirek said.  
  
"I'm positive. If I remember Heero Yuy correctly, it's him." Anna said firmly.  
  
"I agree. Yuy was always obsessed with his mission. If this is his mission, he'll finish it no matter what." Wufei agreed.  
  
"How are you going to find him? Tokyo's the most populated city in the world." Cavel pointed out.  
  
"Finding people is Anna's specialty." Wufei said.  
  
The girl rolled her eyes. "It was. He's got a point. If it were Quatre it would be easy, his blonde hair would stick out like a sore thumb. But Heero's Japanese, he looks like the other two million people out there."  
  
"If his modem's still running, I can track the laptop." Mirek said. "But if he's shut the modem off, we'll never get him."  
  
"Go for it." Anna said. Mirek left the living room and disappeared into the room with the computers.  
  
"Maybe you should tell Chase, Anna." Wufei said. "Or, we could fake a threat on her. He would come."  
  
"No, I'm not telling Chase. And how would we publicize it in time? Go on TV and hold a gun to her head? That might look a little weird."  
  
Wufei shrugged. "If you're convinced that boy is in danger, we may have to take drastic measures."  
  
"If we have to take drastic measures, they'll be practical drastic measures." Anna said.  
  
"Jack might have his cell phone." Cavel said quietly.  
  
Wufei and Anna looked at him. "You know his number?"  
  
Cavel nodded.  
  
"Try it."  
  
"I've got a lock on Heero's prototype!" Mirek shouted.  
  
"Where?" Wufei called back.  
  
"It's right downtown. Where that big bazaar thing is going on?"  
  
Anna frowned before her eyes lit up. "I know where that is. Chase and I went down there one time. It's an annual thing. Lots of people."  
  
"Heero wouldn't endanger that many people, do you think?" Wufei asked.  
  
"There are lots of alleys in that part of town." Mirek said, coming back into the room, carrying a portable tracker. "We'd better hit it."  
  
"He's not answering his phone." Cavel said, hanging up the phone in the kitchen.  
  
"All right. Wufei, Mirek, take the north end of the street and work your way south. Cavel and I will start at the south end and work our way north. Between us, we should be able to spot him." Anna said.  
  
"What if we can't?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Start yelling."  
  
  
  
Jack wove his way through the displays in the bazaar, Trowa following behind him. The young man was actually enjoying himself and the warm weather. He and Trowa were both in civilian clothing, and Trowa had gotten his arm bandaged by a doctor with a 'private' practice.  
  
Trowa was several feet behind him, but kept Jack within sight at all time. He was torn between being pleased and worried about their situation. Jack, now free of the burden of belonging to OWN, was starting to relax, and when he relaxed, so did Trowa. However, there was something in the back of the ex-Heavyarms pilot's mind that wouldn't go away. It was an old instinct that simply would not go away.  
  
Jack stopped at one of the booths and glanced over some of the merchandise. Trowa came up behind him and looked over his shoulder.  
  
"Crosses?" he asked.  
  
Jack looked up at him. "Sure. Aren't you religious?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"You should be."  
  
Trowa's lips curved up in a half smile. "Maybe. Are you?"  
  
"You should know."  
  
The massive crowds around them buzzed and hummed, shopping and talking. The two of them stood silent, and the owner of the booth took care of other customers.  
  
After a moment, Trowa reached around Jack and pointed to one of the crosses on the table. It was small, gold, and it had two tiny garnets, one on each end of the top part. "That one's pretty." He said.  
  
"Yeah, it is." Jack said with a nod. Trowa moved on, stopping at a booth several feet away. Jack reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. "How much for this one?" he asked the woman running the booth.  
  
"For such a cute young fellow, I'll only charge fifteen yen." She said.  
  
He grinned. "You're too kind. Arigato." He paid for the necklace, and wandered over to where his friend was. "I got you something." Jack said, startling the taller man out of his thoughts.  
  
"Ne?" Trowa asked.  
  
Jack held out the cross to him. "Everybody should be religious sometime or another." He said with a smile.  
  
Trowa slowly took the present from him. He met Jack's gaze. "Thank you, Jack." He said softly.  
  
Jack smiled. "Hey, what are friends for, ne? Come on man, I'm starving. There's got to be something to eat around here."  
  
They hadn't gotten very far down the street when Trowa froze. He was sure he had seen a familiar shock of dark brown hair, but the figure had blended into the crowd to fast. That instinct was hitting him hard. He glanced back at Jack, who had found a concession stand, one last time to make sure he wasn't watching him. "So long, Jack." Trowa blended in with the other people; in the direction he had seen Heero Yuy.  
  
Jack turned around and asked Trowa what he wanted, just to find that it wasn't Trowa behind him. Jack's blood stopped cold in his veins. Something was wrong; Trowa wouldn't just disappear like that. Unless…  
  
"Trowa!" he cried, dashing into the middle of the crush of people. It could have been Victor, or it could have been anything. "Trowa!" he called again. There was no sign of his friend.  
  
His mind raced. Had they been followed? Jack didn't remember any feeling of being stalked, not since they'd gotten to Tokyo. His eyes darted from side to side, trying to catch sight of the man.  
  
"Trowa!" he shouted.  
  
Trowa heard him, but his senses were totally focused. He knew Heero was there, and he knew why Heero there. This would be a fine ending, as long as Jack stayed away.  
  
Heero was watching Trowa sway in and out of the crowd, and he heard someone call Trowa's name, but he paid little attention. This was his mission, and nothing was going to interfere with it. Nothing.  
  
Wufei and Mirek were slowly working their way through the crowd from one end, and Anna and Cavel were headed for them from the opposite direction. Vaguely, Anna thought she heard Trowa's name called once, but dismissed it. The four met in the middle of the bazaar.  
  
"Nothing." Wufei said. "I thought I saw him, but I lost it."  
  
"Same here." Anna told them. She looked around. "Look." She pointed upward. There was a building that was slightly taller than the rest, and it had easy roof access.  
  
"You're thinking we could see them from up there?" Mirek asked.  
  
"It's worth a shot." Anna replied. They headed for the rooftop.  
  
Jack shoved his way past the people, calling Trowa's name periodically. He couldn't see anything past the mass. "Where is he?" Jack muttered to himself.  
  
Trowa turned off the bazaar street and into an empty side street. It wasn't an alley because it had other streets connecting to it, but no one was there because of the festivities close by. He stood at one end and waited. His wait didn't last long.  
  
Heero appeared on the other end of the street. The two men stood, facing each other, neither one saying anything.  
  
"If you think you're avenging him by killing me, I'm afraid you're mistaken." Trowa said calmly.  
  
"Omae o korosou. Not just for him, Trowa, but for all of us." Heero replied.  
  
"There's a lot you don't know about, Heero. Killing me will only make things worse for the rest of you." Trowa replied.  
  
Jack was at his wits end. He couldn't find him anywhere. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and cleared his mind. And then he knew.  
  
The four got to the roof and spread out to the corners. "I see them." Mirek said. They all rushed over to where he was standing.  
  
"He's a dead man." Wufei said.  
  
"Crap." Anna muttered. "We have to get down there."  
  
"No, Anna. We'd never make it." Wufei said.  
  
"We can try, though!" Cavel exclaimed.  
  
"I can get a clear shot of Heero." Mirek said.  
  
"He's a traitor." Anna murmured.  
  
Jack threw himself into a run at the end of the street. He wouldn't let it happen, he couldn't let it happen. The man was his best friend, his mentor, the only person that cared about what happened to him. He would not let him die. He wasn't a traitor. He wasn't.  
  
Heero aimed, and Trowa stood there silently. He wasn't even going to attempt to shoot back because it wasn't worth it. They would all find out the truth eventually whether he was alive or dead. He closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable.  
  
"Do you want me to stop him?" Mirek asked.  
  
"No." Anna and Wufei said together.  
  
"You can't just let him die," Cavel said.  
  
No one could answer him.  
  
Jack let out a sob of air as he heard the click of a gun.  
  
"Damn!" Mirek exclaimed. "Jack Avis!"  
  
They looked up the street, and sure enough Jack was running straight towards Trowa from a connecting street.  
  
Heero began to put pressure on the trigger. "Mission, complete."  
  
"Trowa!" Jack screamed.  
  
Trowa's head snapped up at the sound and he saw Jack. "Don't, Jack." He whispered. He looked back at Heero. Pull the trigger, pull the trigger, damn you, he thought, willing him to do it before…  
  
The deafening crack of Heero's gun resounded through the street. He had shot too late.  
  
Jack Avis stood in the direct line of fire. He simply stood, and all fell silent. Trowa held his breath and waited for the wave of pain that accompanied a gunshot to wash over him. It didn't happen.  
  
"Jack?" Trowa whispered. "Jack,"  
  
Heero didn't even realize that he'd shot the wrong man until Jack slumped backwards.  
  
The young man inhaled a shaky breath and felt himself falling backwards. He then felt something warm embrace him and he realized he was in someone's lap on the ground. It looked like it was going to rain, Jack thought.  
  
Trowa cradled him in his lap and held his head. "Oh, God no, not Jack, I told him I'd get him out,"  
  
Heero's arm quavered and he dropped the gun. He couldn't say anything as he backed away from what he'd done.  
  
"Trowa?" Jack murmured. "Trowa?"  
  
"I'm right here, Jack."  
  
"He didn't get you, did he?"  
  
Trowa choked out half a laugh. "Get me? No, Jack." He sighed. "Jack. Why?"  
  
The younger man's fingers brushed across the cross that Trowa was now wearing. "Everybody has to believe in something," he whispered.  
  
Trowa ran his fingers through the dark hair and turned an angry glare on Heero. "Why? Are you so blinded by missions that you've gone back to killing innocent people? I promised him! I promised him I wouldn't let anyone hurt him." Trowa hissed at him. Tears spilled down his cheeks. "He's only a boy,"  
  
"It wasn't supposed to happen like this," Heero said so softly that Trowa could barely hear him.  
  
And when Trowa heard it, he ignored it. Jack sought for his hand and Trowa gave it to him, squeezing gently. "You'll be okay." Trowa murmured.  
  
"Trowa, promise me," he said, but was interrupted by a chest racking cough. "Promise me you'll tell them," he choked.  
  
"Tell them?" Trowa asked.  
  
"You know what I mean," Jack said. His voice was fading.  
  
"I can't, Jack. I can't."  
  
Jack pulled his fingers from Trowa's hand and wiped one of the tears away. "You have to. Promise me, please." He insisted. "One last favor, ne?"  
  
Trowa grasped his hand again. "I promise."  
  
Jack nodded. He smiled up at Trowa. "What are friends for, ne?" he said softly. Trowa forced a smile for him. Jack's eyes closed and his head fell limply against Trowa's arm.  
  
Trowa leaned further over and held him tight against his chest for a long moment. He kissed Jack's temple, and laid him gently on the ground. Sirens wailed in the distance.  
  
"Trowa," Heero started.  
  
"Get out," Trowa growled. "Get out of here! You're a worse traitor than I am, Heero Yuy, because he was innocent."  
  
Heero stood there for a moment longer before vanishing from sight. Trowa's shoulders slumped. He touched Jack's cheek in a sign of farewell. "And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." He said quietly. 


	39. One More Web to Weave Before the Spider ...

Chapter Thirty-nine: One More Web to Weave Before the Spider Strikes  
  
  
  
Dan Sutton stood before General Victor, trying not to appear nervous. The general turned around in his leather chair.  
  
"Did you get what I sent you for?" Victor asked coolly.  
  
"Yes, Sir. It was engraved, as you said it would be." Dan said, reaching over and placing a black ring box on the desk.  
  
Victor picked up the box carefully, almost reverently, and opened it. "Ah, yes. Perfect. Very well done, Mr. Sutton."  
  
Dan smiled. "Thank you sir."  
  
Victor took the gold band out of the box and laid it on the desk. He unclasped the chain that hung around his neck, and added the ring to the one already there. "Now I have a pair." Victor said, almost happily. "Did she suspect anything?"  
  
"No, Sir. I bumped into her and got the box without a hitch."  
  
"Well done. I'm promoting you to Lieutenant. When Commander Barton returns to base you will take your place under him."  
  
Dan frowned. "What happened to Jack Avis, Sir?"  
  
"He is no longer with us." Victor said with a grim smile.  
  
The teenager didn't press the issue. "Yes, Sir. As you wish."  
  
"Good boy. I have your first mission as Lieutenant for you. Extend an invitation to Ms. Yuy to join me for an hour or so this afternoon." Victor said.  
  
"She wouldn't come willingly." Dan said.  
  
"Tell her that if she does not come, the next gift she receives will be Anna Maxwell in a body bag."  
  
"She'll want proof, Sir." Dan said.  
  
Victor smiled like a Cheshire cat. "That what I like about you, always thinking. The beautiful thing about it is this: Ms. Yuy will not take the risk of being wrong."  
  
Dan nodded, bowed, and said, "Yes, Sir."  
  
Wufei, Mirek, Anna, and Cavel all silently filed into their room at Mirek's. All of them found a seat and slumped down into it. Anna sat by Cavel on the couch, an arm around his shoulders. He had lost a friend too that afternoon.  
  
"Well, that was a waste." Anna sighed.  
  
"Of what?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Life, time, anything else you care to add." She responded.  
  
"He could have survived." Mirek said.  
  
"No. I'm sure he didn't." Anna said.  
  
"How can you tell?" Cavel asked.  
  
"Trowa Barton cried for him. He's dead."  
  
The room fell silent as a sense of failure set in. Anna squeezed Cavel's shoulder and got up to go to her purse. She stood at the kitchen table for several minutes, rummaging through the green bag. She frowned when she did not find what she was looking for.  
  
"What in the world happened to my wedding ring?" Anna asked no one in particular.  
  
"Missing something?" Mirek asked, coming into the kitchen.  
  
"My wedding ring. Oh, by the way, Mirek, I wish you'd find Heero. I don't believe he meant to kill the boy, and I have a feeling it's not going to sit well with him. Or Chase, when she finds out. Would you find him? If he doesn't know about the underground, maybe it's time he should."  
  
The older man nodded. "Of course. I'll find him. It shouldn't take that long. Ja ne."  
  
"Ja." Anna bit her lip. Where *was* that ring?  
  
  
  
The sun had begun to set when Chase finally sat down on a park bench and sighed. Nothing seemed to be going well at all today. She'd spent it looking for any trace of Anna, Duo, Wufei, and any links to anything that would help. Her efforts had been in vain.  
  
Her senses jumped to life as she felt a presence behind her. She spun around to see a young man standing strait and tall, shades resting on his nose.  
  
"Who are you?" she demanded.  
  
"That's not important. I have a message for you."  
  
Chase stood. "I'm afraid I'm in a bit of a hurry, sir."  
  
"You weren't two seconds ago. Anyway, this has to do with a close friend of yours. Anna Maxwell is the name you know her by, I believe."  
  
Chase paled. "What about her?"  
  
"General Victor says that you are to come with me and meet him unless you would like to see your friend at your doorstep in a body bag."  
  
"Anta!" she screamed as she lunged over the seat and at him.  
  
"Don't shoot the messenger, Ms. Yuy. Please, come with me and the general guarantees her safety."  
  
Chase growled something in reply and nodded.  
  
"Please do hand over any weapons you might be carrying and we'll be off."  
  
  
  
Chase saw the familiar white light fade around her and she blinked once. The room was empty except for herself and the man next to her.  
  
"General Victor will be here shortly. Please make yourself comfortable."  
  
Chase glared after the tall boy as the door slid shut behind him. She slid down against the wall, fingering the hidden gun hooked inside her jacket. The man was far too trusting.  
  
Without warning, she felt the floor drop from beneath her. A choked back scream came from shear surprise and she landed with a thud on the cold ground. As she sat herself up, she felt a bullet scrape past her cheek. She grabbed for her gun.  
  
"You were such a bad sport in our last game that I thought I'd give you a chance to make it up," Victor said from the shadows.  
  
The brown-eyed woman gripped the gun in her hand as she crouched, ready for his next move. Game indeed… This man was nothing less than sick.  
  
Victor stepped out of the shadows and smiled sadistically at the young assassin.  
  
"Where's Anna?"  
  
"So impatient, Ms. Yuy! We need to work on that."  
  
"Listen you sadistic Son of a-"  
  
"The language isn't needed, Ms. Yuy, if you please."  
  
"Where is  
  
she?"  
  
"Ms. Maxwell… Wait, is that Ms. Russell now?" he asked with a smile.  
  
"Nani?"  
  
"Oh? You didn't know? Your good friend has annulled her marriage to Mr. Maxwell. Very sad actually."  
  
Chase growled under her breath. "I don't care what her name is. Where is she?"  
  
He smiled once more. "Haven't you figured it out yet? People really do give you Gundam pilots too much credit. She isn't here, Chase-san. I merely used your blind loyalty to your friend as bait. I wanted you to come play my game, little one. It's not every day I find such good opponents as you pilots are."  
  
Chase's eyes darkened and she jumped up and was next to him in a flash of movement. He blinked in surprise as her boot made contact with his ribs and he went flying into the wall. He looked up to see her holding her gun to his temple with a deadly look in her eye. "Never toy with the people I care about."  
  
"That wasn't fair, Ms. Yuy. You're not being a good sport about all this."  
  
"Fair is when you win, ne?"  
  
"You needn't put it so bluntly, Chase-san."  
  
"Shut up and die," she growled out.  
  
"Not yet, Ms. Yuy," he said with a smile. His finger pressed a small button and for the second time that day, the floor dropped out from under the young woman. "Not quite yet."  
  
Chase fell down a long tunnel before landing in the mud outside of the building. She recognized the area as a deserted building just outside of Tokyo that had been shut down five year – if not more – before that.  
  
She screamed in frustration as she slammed a fist into the building. She pulled her cell phone from her bag she had still draped over one arm. She sighed as she briefly thought of the trouble she'd have to go to replace most of the weaponry in it. True, she'd stashed a good deal of the special, otherworldly weapons in the hidden parts of the bag, but most of the truly useful things had been confiscated.  
  
She read the paper she had scribbled the number of the hotel onto and dialed it in quickly. She waited and Ryuujin answered.  
  
"Hey ya, boyo."  
  
"Where've you been all day?"  
  
"Here, there, everywhere. Just got done unwillingly playing one of Victor's 'games.'"  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Of course. Could you come pick me up? I desperately need a shower, then I have something that I need to check up on."  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"It's right outside of the city…"  
  
  
  
Chase stepped out of the shower and wrapped the towel around her body with a sigh. The likely hood of what Victor had said about Anna and Duo being true was very low to none, but she need to quench her curiosity.  
  
She stared into the mirror for a moment and fingered the gash the bullet had made on her face. Hopefully makeup would cover it mostly. She sighed before grabbing her clothes off the counter and dressing.  
  
The petite blond stepped out of the bathroom five minutes later, hair dry and ready to do some hacking.  
  
"What did you need to check up on?" Ryuu asked from his place on the bed.  
  
"Victor said something that just didn't set well with me. I'm going to the court house if you want to join me."  
  
Ryuu blinked as he watched her leave the room. "The court house?" he asked as he followed behind.  
  
By the time they reached downtown Tokyo, the courthouse was closed, much to Chase's delight. With much ease, they made their way into the building without tripping any alarms.  
  
The assassin and the swordsman climbed the stairs to the fifth floor and Chase motioned to the second door from the elevators. "That's where someone would go, so that's where the files would be."  
  
Ryuujin nodded and they walked into the room. He watched the petite woman shift through the files until she found what she was looking for. "He was telling the truth," she muttered.  
  
"You never quite explained the whole thing," Ryuujin said, getting slightly frustrated with the young woman's lack of answers.  
  
"Victor told me that Anna had annulled her marriage. Apparently he wasn't lying as I thought he was."  
  
Ryuu nodded, then turned when his ears picked up a slight noise from down the hall. "We have company," he whispered.  
  
"Should have known the place would have cops. Sloppy of me," she muttered. She stepped back into a dark corner of the room, watching Ryuu do the same. The door cracked open, light flooding in. An old man with a security officer's hat and uniform on peered in. He shrugged and left as quickly as he came, the hall's light leaving with him.  
  
Chase stepped forward and picked up a paper, stuffing it into her bag. "Let's go. I really don't want the headlines to read something about 'manga artist turned burglar.'"  
  
Ryuujin chuckled at this, but agreed. They left silently and headed back to the hotel where Quatre, Dorothy, and Odin were sure to be waiting.  
  
Chase sat down and watched the rainfall into the dark sky of the night. "You lived in Tokyo for a while, Odin."  
  
The elder man nodded.  
  
"What do you know of something called 'Underground Tokyo'?"  
  
Odin Lowe's eyes flashed briefly, but the young woman missed. "Underground Tokyo, eh? Never heard of it. It sounds like one of those nightclubs. I used to go to those, a long time ago."  
  
Chase shook her head. "I don't think that's what this is. There wasn't any information on it, but I got the feeling it was more of a community."  
  
Odin regarded the girl carefully. "No, Chase. I don't know what that is."  
  
She shrugged. "Just thought I'd ask. I'll do a little research, see what I can find out."  
  
"You do that." Odin said.  
  
The small girl left, and Odin stood still for a long moment. He shook his head. "Always getting into things, that one is." He murmured. He reached over and picked up the phone, dialing nine numbers in quick succession.  
  
Mirek Sloan was on top of a six story building in downtown Tokyo. His laptop was perched on the roof ledge, searching for Heero Yuy's modem. He had one leg propped up on the ledge as well, and he leaned on it. His black jacket flapped around him in the slight breeze. He sighed as the sun began to sink and he hadn't found a trace of Yuy yet.  
  
He was slightly startled as his cell phone rang. "Sloan."  
  
"It's good to hear your voice again, old friend." Odin said.  
  
Mirek's eyes widened. "Lowe! I never thought I'd hear from you again. Disappeared into Ohio or something like that, didn't you?"  
  
Odin laughed. "Something like that. I was upturned by Chase Yuy just this week."  
  
"I've heard quite a bit about her. I haven't had the opportunity to meet her yet, though. What's up, Lowe? You forget your password into the Underground, or what?"  
  
Odin frowned. "Not exactly. Chase has somehow heard of the underground. It wasn't by me; you know I took the oath of silence. But she knows, and she won't quit looking until she finds it."  
  
Mirek watched his computer screen as he listened. "Even if she knew about it, Lowe, doesn't mean she could get in. If an authorized person doesn't escort her down, or she doesn't have a password, it will kill her. Besides, no one can find the underground."  
  
"Don't have so much confidence in it, my friend. Chase is very persistent. If you don't turn up Anna soon, she'll root up anything to find her."  
  
"Anna's with me." Mirek shook his head. "I don't think she'll find it, but if she does we'll deal with it then. Did you hear what happened today?"  
  
"About the boy?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I did. You have something to do with it?"  
  
"No. We just saw. Heero Yuy killed that Jack kid. Bad situation, and no way of stopping it except to take Yuy out. Couldn't do that either."  
  
"I was afraid Heero was involved. Where is he now?"  
  
"No idea. I'm searching for him as we speak."  
  
"All right. Find him, Sloan. That kid's dangerous when he's depressed. Ja ne."  
  
"Right. Ciao." Mirek hung up and went back to focusing on the computer screen.  
  
He was soon rewarded, as a bleep showed up on the computer. He grinned. "Got you." Mirek shut the laptop and disappeared into the building. He reemerged in the parking garage and sped into the streets. Yuy was close, as long as he didn't jump. If he jumped, there was no hope of getting him back.  
  
Mirek sped along at top speeds, almost racing the setting sun. The signal was originating from a club on the outskirts of the city. It was one of those tucked away places that not many people knew about, but enough knew to keep the place in business. Mirek knew it well. He turned off the exit he needed and five minutes later he was pulling into the parking lot of a seemingly rundown hole-in-the-wall jazz club.  
  
The outdoor lights flickered on as he entered the building. Inside, it was exquisitely done up and decorated. Mirek happened to know that the owner was a professional bounty hunter who dabbled in owning restaurants as a hobby. It was adequately lit, and the piano was already being played. Mirek located Heero Yuy in a glance of the room and took the bar seat next to him.  
  
No eye contact was made between the two men for at least five minutes. Mirek did not want to scare the younger man off. After a long moment, Mirek instigated a conversation.  
  
"You look like you've had a hell of a day."  
  
Heero looked up at him before turning back to his drink without saying a word.  
  
"You're not from around here, are you?" Mirek said mildly.  
  
Heero fixed him with a final warning glare, but still said nothing.  
  
"I saw you earlier this afternoon." Mirek tried.  
  
Heero's whole body stiffened. He didn't even look at Mirek as he dropped a bill on the counter and started to leave. Mirek grabbed his arm.  
  
"Look, I saw what happened." He said lowly. "It wasn't your fault. I don't know what your business is with the other man, and I don't care, quite frankly. But I know you aren't from this time." Mirek stuck a business card in Heero's pocket. "You can go to this man if you need a place to hide or get away. No questions asked." Mirek stood, dropped his own bill on the bar and walked out, leaving a rather stunned Heero Yuy standing in the club.  
  
After the sound of a car peeling rubber had died away, Heero pulled the card out of his pocked.  
  
Mirek's Inn  
  
Cozy Get Away Inn the City  
  
There was an address and a phone number on the back of the card. Heero frowned. Somehow, that man had known that he wasn't from any A.D. year. That either meant he worked for OWN, or worked against them. Then he noticed an extra pair of initials written in pen under the phone number. They were almost to small to see, but Heero recognized them immediately.  
  
A.M.  
  
The Japanese man sighed and checked his watch. He might take the mystery man up on his offer, but he couldn't be late to pick his guest up at the airport.  
  
Anna stretched as she walked along the beachfront. She stopped and bought a coffee from a closing stand. She continued walking before stepping off the concrete and into the sand heading further south.  
  
The sun was halfway below the horizon, making the sky and sea a swirl of pink, orange, and blood red. The young woman knelt by the water's edge and dropped two white roses into the sea. They were swept away into the tide, the sunset tinting the pure color of the flowers.  
  
"Farewell, my Ai. Always didn't last so long. Farewell, young one. I hardly know your name, but Trowa grieved for you." She murmured.  
  
She backed away as not to get wet, and stared out at the water. A look of disgust flashed through her eyes before her expression returned to one of pensiveness. Anna turned to continue her walk when her gaze fell on a man kneeling in the sand quite a ways away from her.  
  
She could make out the teal of his turtleneck and the grey of his pants and the chestnut brown of his bangs as they fell and brushed across his face. His shoulders were slumped and his head was bowed. Anna shook her head. "Imagining in excited reverie that the future years had come, dancing to a frenzied drum, out of the murderous innocence of the sea." She quoted to herself.  
  
Anna knelt by him in the sand. "Do you mind?" she murmured.  
  
He lifted empty emerald orbs to meet her gaze. "No." he rasped.  
  
She wasn't quite sure what to say. "I'm sorry. It looks like we both lost a Jack."  
  
The emerald eyes shut tight and his body clenched momentarily. He unclenched his fists and stared at his palms. She reached out and grasped one of his hands.  
  
"You know I didn't kill Quatre." She whispered.  
  
He nodded. "I know."  
  
"You know you didn't kill that boy."  
  
Trowa gripped her hand, his nails digging into the skin. "Technically, maybe."  
  
"I saw it, Trowa. You didn't."  
  
He looked at her. "You saw."  
  
"I did. He had to have loved you an awful lot to do that."  
  
"Everybody has to believe in something." Trowa said.  
  
She released his hand and squeezed his shoulder. "So where do we stand? Friends or foes?"  
  
"Can I ask you a question first?"  
  
She nodded.  
  
"Would you believe me if I told you I didn't kill your husband?"  
  
The sun slipped over the edge of the earth and vanished into night. Anna took a deep breath. She'd known Trowa Barton a long time, but a long time ago. He wasn't a liar, and yet he sat next to her a traitor.  
  
"Would you tell me that?"  
  
"If you asked me to."  
  
"If you told me that you didn't kill him, I'd believe you. But I'm not going to ask you to tell me that."  
  
He looked at her. "Why not?"  
  
She smiled. "I don't have to."  
  
"I'm going back to OWN tomorrow morning. I have unfinished business."  
  
"I understand. After that?"  
  
Trowa pointed to the moon, glowing over the dark water. "You remember when we had that mission there? Just you, Wufei, and I? You remember what I said?"  
  
"I remember. We had almost won it, and I asked you what happened after it was over. You told me that the end came after it was over."  
  
"After tomorrow, it's over."  
  
"Chase,"  
  
"Never really needed me, Anna. She has Heero and if she discards him she's got Ryuu. What have I got, Anna? I've done everything wrong. Look what I did to Chase and you and Quatre and Duo and my Jack…"  
  
"I don't know what goes on in that brain of yours, Trowa Barton, but Jack Avis made you make him a promise today. He told you to tell them something. What was it? You've got that."  
  
"It's not for your ears, Anna. But you're right. I've still got that."  
  
"Stay until tomorrow night."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Would you stay? You owe me, Barton."  
  
"As you like."  
  
She touched his cheek and stood. Anna paused before pulling a third flower out of her coat pocket. It was white, but the tips were red. She handed it to him. "Take care of yourself, Trowa."  
  
He took it from her. "You too."  
  
  
  
Mirek locked the door behind him after he entered the above ground part of his inn. Wufei looked up from the book he was reading as the man came in.  
  
"Did you find him?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Will he come?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. He'll come. Where's the kid?"  
  
"Sleeping."  
  
Anna stepped in and flicked on the lights, startled when she saw Wufei and Mirek. "Hey, guys. Find him?"  
  
Mirek nodded. "He'll come."  
  
"Where did you disappear off too?" Wufei asked.  
  
Anna shrugged with a smile. "Beach. You know I like the ocean."  
  
Mirek headed for the hall into the Underground. "If he shows up, let me know. By the way, Anna, he knows you're here."  
  
Anna rolled her eyes. "Wonderful."  
  
When Mirek was gone, Anna sat cross-legged on the couch across from Wufei. "Can I ask you something, Fei-chan?"  
  
The Chinese man nodded, still reading his book.  
  
She waited to see if he would look up. He didn't, so she asked anyway. "Why did you hurt when Treize died?"  
  
That got his attention. Slowly, he put the book down and furrowed his brow. "What?"  
  
"Trowa betrayed all of us by going to OWN. I hated him for it. Then he killed Duo and I hated him even more. But today, when Jack Avis died in his arms, everything seemed like it was erased. It was like old times because I hurt for him. I still hurt for him. Why did you hurt for Treize?"  
  
Wufei took a long breath. "You sure know how to ask a random question. I hurt, because I wanted it to be me. Because I felt he was the better man, and he died."  
  
"Even though he killed Marian? He was the better man to you?"  
  
Wufei nodded. "At that time I thought he was. Now I think he was a man who fought for what he believed in and paid the price of ultimate power."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
Anna stretched again and stood. "Sometime they'll give a war and nobody will come." She sighed.  
  
"Shakespeare?" Wufei asked.  
  
"Carl Sandburg. I'm getting married tomorrow."  
  
"I know."  
  
"Will you come?"  
  
"If you wish it."  
  
"I do."  
  
"You're not supposed to say that to me."  
  
"That wasn't funny. I'm going to bed."  
  
"Is that an invitation?"  
  
Anna threw a pillow at him. "Good night."  
  
He smiled. "Night, Anna."  
  
The girl lowered herself into the underground. "Suki da." She murmured as she vanished.  
  
  
  
"I have two questions for you, Mr. Yuy." Meg Thatcher said, as they drove through downtown Tokyo.  
  
"Call me Heero. And what?" he asked, checking his rearview mirror. Seeing nothing, he sped up.  
  
"One, why did you fly me out here all the way from Chicago and not tell me why? Two, where in the world are we going?"  
  
"I need you to do an autopsy. And we're going to a hotel."  
  
"Another autopsy?! People don't stay alive very long around you, do they?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"That's comforting. Whom am I doing an autopsy on?"  
  
"A man. His name is Jack Avis."  
  
"How did he die?" Meg asked carefully.  
  
"I shot him."  
  
She stared at him, dumbfounded. "Just like that? You shot him?"  
  
"It was an accident." Heero growled.  
  
"I never believed you could accidentally shoot anyone." Meg grumbled.  
  
He gave her a glare that officially shut her up. He turned his entire focus on the road. Heero was in no mood to pass this place and then have to go on a wild goose chase to find it. He spotted the street up ahead and slowed the car.  
  
"Is this it?" Meg asked cautiously. She didn't want this man's wrath on her.  
  
"Yes." Heero said shortly. He parked the car in front of the small looking building and got out of the car. He went to the other side of the vehicle and opened Meg's door for her. She accepted his hand and got out of the car.  
  
"It looks really small for a hotel, doesn't it?" She asked.  
  
Heero made no reply as he led them up to the door and knocked. The light shifted inside the window as a shadow fell across it, and a moment later, the door was opened by Mirek himself.  
  
"Mr. Yuy. Ms?"  
  
"Meg Thatcher." Meg said.  
  
"Come in." He ushered them into the otherwise empty lobby area.  
  
They took the seats that were offered them and declined when Mirek offered them something to drink. He sat down facing them.  
  
"Why is she here?" he asked.  
  
"I asked her to come." Heero replied evenly.  
  
Mirek shrugged. "As you wish. I can give you refuge, but only if you both swear complete secrecy. Lives depend on this secret."  
  
"Mochiron." Heero muttered.  
  
Mirek looked at Meg with a grin. "I've lived in this city for almost ten years and I still don't speak a word of Japanese. I don't suppose you could translate that?"  
  
Meg thought for a moment. "I think it means 'naturally'. I lived with a girl who spoke it a lot. I'll keep it a secret."  
  
"I accept you word. You realize I wouldn't even be doing this except that a friend asked me too."  
  
"Anna Maxwell, no doubt." Heero said.  
  
"Anna, yes. Follow me."  
  
They got up and followed Mirek to the end of the hall. The tall man pulled back the section of carpet and the trap door swung open. Mirek lowered himself into the stairway, Meg behind him and Heero behind her. The door shut behind them. The stairs wound down for what seemed forever before Mirek pushed open the door in the hall of the underground part of the hotel. The other two stepped into the light.  
  
"Way cool!" Meg exclaimed.  
  
"Only she would say that." Heero muttered.  
  
Mirek looked at him. "Why?"  
  
"She's a coroner."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"That isn't funny, you two." Meg said airily.  
  
"I want to see Anna." Heero said.  
  
As if on cue, a female voice emitted a loud explicative from the other end of the hallway. "Mirek! Victor's up to something again! If I ever get my hands on the son of a,"  
  
"Anna!" Mirek cut her off. "We have company!"  
  
The twenty-six year old woman appeared in the hall, donning lavender pajama bottoms and a white blouse. "Meg! What in the world are you doing here?" she exclaimed. Her expression changed as her gaze rested on the Perfect Soldier. "Heero. Long time no see."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Meg pointed to the man next to her. "He dragged me out here all the way from Chicago to do one autopsy. Can you believe it?"  
  
"Oh, I believe it." She turned to Heero and addressed him in Japanese. "I have a mission for you, if you think you want it."  
  
"What kind of mission?"  
  
"I intercepted an email sent to all OWN employees that work in the German base. Victor is abandoning it tomorrow morning. His subordinates will be clearing out files and equipment during the afternoon, and he's having it burned at sundown."  
  
"What do you think I could do?"  
  
"Victor is leaving all the prisoners to burn."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"Heero, onegai."  
  
"And you aren't doing anything about it because?" He asked.  
  
"I have an appointment tomorrow."  
  
He glared at her. "Fine."  
  
She switched to English, for the benefit of Meg and Mirek, who were looking fairly lost and annoyed. "You can take Meg with you."  
  
"Absolutely not."  
  
"Take me where?" she asked.  
  
"She can fire a gun. She's a medical doctor. She's an asset." Anna argued.  
  
"I wouldn't even feel like taking you, and I know you're capable."  
  
"Hello? Take me where?" Meg asked.  
  
"To Germany to on a mission." Anna said.  
  
"Cool! I want to go." The coroner agreed.  
  
Heero looked like he either wanted to die or kill them all. "All right. Fine. But I'm not responsible for anything that happens tomorrow."  
  
Mirek handed them each a key. "Your rooms are right down the hall." He said.  
  
Meg took hers called back to Heero. "Don't you leave without me!"  
  
Heero took his key and silently headed for his room. Anna called after him in his native tongue. "It wasn't your fault." She said.  
  
He didn't acknowledge her. 


	40. Someday Love Will Find You, Break Those ...

Chapter Forty: Someday Love Will Find You, Break Those Chains That Bind You  
  
Heero and Meg used the big computer in Mirek's computer room to make the jump to German AC 209, and they had gone before sunrise the next morning. They took the prototype with them, since it had worked all right for Heero more than once.  
  
The rest of the day for Anna, Mirek, Wufei, and Cavel was spent in preparation for the wedding. It was going to be small, only the four of them and the minister. Chase could kill them all later, Anna told them.  
  
The ceremony was scheduled for the late evening and afterwards Mirek and Anna would be taking a night flight to Chicago while Wufei and Cavel tracked down Chase, Ryuu, and Quatre. That was the plan, at least.  
  
Mirek had reserved a banquet room for them, and Anna had contacted a minister she had met in Tokyo. Before she knew it, they were on their way.  
  
Anna paced the Bridal room on the side of the banquet hall. She wasn't sure if she should be doing this. It was fast, and not based on love. "Of course look how my last marriage based on love went. Dead, fast." Anna murmured to herself. She stopped in front of the full-length mirror. She had donned a mid-calf length violet skirt and a white button down blouse. Neither she nor Mirek wanted a regular wedding, since it was her second and spur of the moment. Tan colored hose led down to black sandals with heels. She did not have any rings or necklaces on, but she wore diamond earrings and a diamond clip was holding half of her hair up.  
  
Nervously she pulled at an eyelash that mascara had globbed on. Wufei stuck his head in the door. "Can I come in?" he asked.  
  
"Of course. I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind giving me away." She replied with a grin.  
  
"Again?" he asked wryly.  
  
She turned around to face him. "You don't have to."  
  
He smiled and shook his head. "I don't mind. I'm the only adult witness, after all. May as well make myself useful."  
  
She smiled before studying the floor. Anna hated awkward moments like this. She couldn't help like feeling she had to explain why she was marrying Mirek so fast and not giving lieu to old flames. Wufei sensed the tension as well. They really hadn't discussed feelings between them in almost a decade. Maybe it was time to let go.  
  
He stepped up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "What I said at the first hotel,"  
  
She cut him off by cupping his cheek in her hand. "I love you, Wufei. I honestly do and probably always will. Understand that if anything happened between us it would be so much like before. I would always feel guilty, somehow."  
  
He reached his hand up and curled his fingers around those of hers on his face. He pulled them to his lips and kissed them. "I know. I love you, Anna. When you asked me then if I still did, the answer was yes. There was just something special and especially impossible between us. But I'll always be there for you."  
  
"Likewise." She said with a sad smile. Instinctively, they pulled each other into an embrace.  
  
Wufei curled his fingers into the back of her blouse and she hugged one arm across his back and rested the fingers of her other hand on the back of his neck.  
  
"It'll never be the same, will it, Fei-chan?" she whispered.  
  
His eyes widened in surprise. It was not the first time Anna had asked that of him. "No," he murmured. "But it will get better, with time and friends." He repeated himself.  
  
She pulled away and looked up at him. "Am I doing the right thing?"  
  
"Will you be happy with him?"  
  
Anna thought about it. "I believe I will. He'll always be there, and he'll be a good father one-day. Loving and being in love are two different things."  
  
"Believe me, I know. You're sure you want children with Mirek?"  
  
She grinned. "I'm marrying him, am I not? Seriously, even if Duo had come back and stayed alive, I could have never had children with him. Every child we had, I would look at them and think of Jack," she trailed off. "Yeah." She finished.  
  
"Mirek's from the future too." Wufei said.  
  
"I know. But he's settled here. He's not going back."  
  
He smiled down at her. "You'll be happy again."  
  
"Yeah. That's the plan." Anna smiled back.  
  
Wufei reached up and pulled a necklace from out of the collar of his shirt. It was a silver chain with an amethyst star on it. He unclasped it and hung it around her neck. "You said it didn't belong to you here. Now it does. Besides, something old, something new, something borrowed, and something…brewed? I can never remember the last part of that."  
  
Anna laughed. "It's something blue. Although I could go for coffee right about now."  
  
"Do you have everything?" he asked.  
  
She checked herself over. She touched the star and said, "Something old," she touched her earrings, "Something new," she grasped his hand, "Something borrowed, and my contacts are blue."  
  
He laughed and the bridal march began to play in the banquet hall. "That's you're cue."  
  
She nodded. "Chase is going to murder me."  
  
"With as many men as she's torn between at the moment she has no right," Wufei laughed.  
  
Anna frowned. "What do you mean? She's got Heero and I don't think her loyalties would lie with Trowa anymore."  
  
Wufei looked surprised. "Ryuujin."  
  
Anna's jaw dropped. "Oh, crap. I forgot about him. I helped him escape from Victor's hide-a-way. I didn't think of the problems that would cause."  
  
"Don't worry about it. Chase will make the decision that she feels her heart leads her to."  
  
"Chase. Always believing love conquers all," she met his gaze, "It doesn't."  
  
He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "No morbid thoughts. You're getting married, and you're going to be late." He walked over to the door and pulled it open. He turned back to Anna and offered his arm. "Your future awaits, malady."  
  
She inhaled deeply and took his arm. "Dramatic entrance, ne?" she murmured.  
  
They entered the banquet room. It was devoid of tables for the event, and the gold curtains hung over windows that surrounded the entire room. They were on the eleventh floor, so they had a perfect view of the city. The minister was on a platform, Cavel was standing to the side grinning like a fool, and Mirek was standing below the minister and to the right. He was wearing a dark suit and was smiling. The lady at the piano was looking a little teary. The ornate ceiling hung overhead painted with clouds and cherubs in a remake of one of Michelangelo's works. The cherry wood was carved into patterns of Sakura blossoms.  
  
Wufei led her through the room, almost holding his breath. The sun was setting making the gold tone of the room glow. Anna squeezed his arm gently as they reached Mirek and Wufei smiled at her. He gave her hand to the older man. Mirek nodded and took Anna's hand. Wufei stepped back.  
  
"Shall we begin?" the minister asked.  
  
The lady ended the song as Anna and Mirek nodded.  
  
"Very good. Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this man and this woman in holy matrimony; which is an honorable estate, instituted of God, and therefore is not by any to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly, but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God. Into this estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter forever hold his peace."  
  
There was no disturbance in the banquet room. Anna breathed in deeply. Mirek squeezed her hand. It was an offer out, and he was giving it to her. She forced herself to smile through her nervousness. This was what she wanted to do.  
  
"Mirek, will you have this woman to be your wedded wife, to love her, comfort her, honor, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her, so long as you both shall live?"  
  
Mirek gave Anna one last meaningful look and she gave a slight nod of her head. Mirek smiled. "I do."  
  
"Anna, will you have this man to be your wedded husband, to love him, comfort him, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto him, so long as you both shall live?"  
  
Anna's nervousness fled from her. She opened her mouth, the words on the tip of her tongue. The room was suddenly engulfed in darkness.  
  
1 "Anna?"  
  
"Mirek?"  
  
"Wufei?"  
  
"You don't seem to have much luck with weddings, woman."  
  
"I hadn't even said anything yet!"  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, may I enquiry as to what is going on?" the minister asked.  
  
"We aren't sure, Father." Mirek answered.  
  
"Fei-kun, where did I leave my purse?"  
  
"It's on that one table they left up." The Chinese man answered.  
  
Anna pulled her hand from Mirek's and groped her way over to the table. She felt around for the fuzzy countenance of her purse and pulled it to her. She fished around in and pulled out a high-power penlight. She shined it on the windows.  
  
"Blackout tarps." Mirek said.  
  
"I don't understand." Wufei said.  
  
"Neither do I." Remarked the minister.  
  
Anna darted the penlight around in order to illuminate where her gaze fell. "I do."  
  
"Care to explain?" Wufei asked.  
  
She shined the light on he and Mirek. "Where do you hide?"  
  
"In the dark." Mirek answered automatically.  
  
"In the dark?" Wufei repeated.  
  
"During the Eve war, one of the things they taught their soldiers was to always find shadows and hide in the dark. It's also a childhood pastime." Anna said.  
  
"Hide and seek." Mirek said.  
  
"Exactly. It's a game." Anna muttered.  
  
"Quite, Ms. Mei. Or should I say Mrs. Maxwell? The former Mrs. Maxwell? The current Mrs. Sloan? Oh, I'm terribly sorry I interrupted your nuptials. However, I find myself in the disfavor of my superiors. So, I want to play one last game with someone who can appreciate it." Victor said from somewhere in the vast darkness.  
  
"I'm not interested, Victor. I'm leaving the war and I'm going to build a normal life while I still have the chance." Anna said, trying to locate the voice.  
  
"Leave the war? Nonsense, I'm afraid. The only way a soldier leaves a war is by death." Victor said.  
  
"What if the war is over?" Mirek asked.  
  
"A war is never over for one who fought it. Memories remain and the pain is always there." Victor snapped.  
  
"Is that why you play games? To cover the memories?" Anna asked. She had him.  
  
Victor smiled in the darkness. "Like I said, I wanted to play with someone who could appreciate it. And it appears you understand it as well."  
  
"Oh, I understand. I'm just not interested." Anna said, flashing the light on where he was standing.  
  
He smiled a dark smile, and Anna noticed something in his eyes. Rather, she noticed something lacking in his eyes. Feeling.  
  
"Interest has nothing to do with it, I'm afraid. Thirty soldiers of mine surround this entire building. They will attack if you do not play."  
  
"He'll attack anyway, Anna." Cavel said.  
  
"I hate you, Victor. I swear." The girl muttered.  
  
"You have two minutes, Ms. Mei. Be outside. Two minutes." He vanished.  
  
"Don't, Anna," Wufei said warningly.  
  
"I don't have a choice, now do I?" Anna turned off her penlight and grabbed her travel bag from under the table. She pulled on a pair of black jeans that were in the bag and pulled her skirt off over them. She shoved the skirt in the bag, put on her leather jacket and holstered her magnum. "Damn psychopaths." She said flatly.  
  
"Anna," Mirek said softly.  
  
She shined the light on him and took a deep breath. "Wait for me." She said.  
  
"I will."  
  
"Don't get carried away, Anna. He's crazy." Wufei said.  
  
"I know. Take care of Sparky. I'll be back."  
  
"Be careful." Mirek said.  
  
The promise escaped her lips before she could think. "Always." And she was gone to play the game.  
  
  
  
A/N: Thanks to everyone for being patient. I know it's been a while since I updated last, gomen nasai! I had to figure out how to upload then change the chapter and oi! Ff.net made it slightly confusing, ne? Anyhoo, thanks again. Chapter 41 is in the works, (and has been for three and a half weeks….) and should be back soon. You reading this, Ryuujin? We want the next chapter!! (It's in his hands now, folks, be very, very afraid. Keep reading! Thanks! 


	41. Fight Or Flight

Chapter Forty-One: Fight or Flight  
  
A/N: Hey, it's Anna-chan here. Just to be on the safe side, this chapter's rating will be upped to R for some violent parts. I'm not going to change the rating for the whole story, because it's not necessary, but if there are any more chapters like this I'll let you know. Thanks!  
  
Quatre shouldered his jacket and went to search for his comrades. Chase had been unusually quiet most of the day and Dorothy had fallen asleep about an hour earlier. He stepped out of his room and headed down the hall.  
  
He ran into Ryu on the sidewalk. "Konban wa, Ryu-kun. How are you?"  
  
The blue-haired man turned a steely gaze on him, but smiled devilishly. "Fine. Where are you off to?"  
  
"Just to take a walk downtown. Care to come?"  
  
The warrior's smile widened ever so slightly. "No thanks. I'll see you later."  
  
Quatre nodded. "Ja!" The blonde headed off.  
  
"Not too much later though." Ryu said darkly.  
  
Trowa Barton left the house he was staying in. He was fully armed, and on a mission. He wasn't going to ignore his gut feeling this time. Quatre was still alive, and even though he felt the blonde man would never forgive him, he could still protect his one time friend. Something was wrong, and the Silencer could feel it. He headed into to the city and the sun slowly sank behind him.  
  
  
  
(Don't know if this is really an A/N cuz I'm not "Technically" an author. (I think) O well, The man behind Ryuujin here, this is my first add on to the story and it was so heavy on Ryu that I just HAD to be the one to write it.) (A/N2: also if you notice a lack of Japanese…well that's because I don't know that much of it, hehe, And besides Ryuujin was never meant to speak a word of it, so there!)  
  
A scrap of paper flapped across the street as a cold nights breeze moved in. The moon rose and the night was set.  
  
A feeling of dread fell over Trowa as his mind raced with feelings of urgency as if every second he lost was a second lost of Quatre's life.  
  
"Quatre, where are you?" Trowa's pace quickened to a light jog and then into an all out run as the feeling of Quatre's danger became ever stronger.  
  
Quatre rambled aimlessly as he wandered the streets gathering his thoughts "Something seemed awfully odd about Ryu when I bumped into him earlier. Maybe he is getting sick, I'll ask him next time I see him I guess."  
  
"Does he really not know?"  
  
"Na. I bet he was just upset about all that's been happening with Chase lately. I mean, I don't know if Chase can tell, but Ryu is dead set in love with her…I don't even know if Heero loves Chase that much anymore…"  
  
Quatre's thoughts were cut off be the sudden thud from the alley across the street. The startled man backed in to the alley behind him, he was regretfully unarmed. A looming figure approached from alley parallel his. It was dark cloaked figure well hidden with the shadows and walking strait at him. Quatre backed to the rear most of the alley as he waited for the man to arrive.  
  
"How was your walk Quatre?"  
  
"Phew! Its just you Ryu-kun! You really scared me there for a minute. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh nothing, just looking for you."  
  
"O okay, well I was just walking would you like to join me?"  
  
"Na, that's ok Quatre I'm a little busy."  
  
Something was defiantly wrong with Ryu tonight and Quatre could tell.  
  
"Oh well I wont be keeping you from you business Ryu. Ja."  
  
Just as Quatre was about to head past Ryu only the sound of sliding medal could be heard as Ryu's sword came sliding out of his sheath and into the wall in front of Quatre. Ryu, still fully draped in his grey cloak, had not moved but to strike the wall in an instant.  
  
"Just a second Quatre, I need to ask you a few questions before you leave, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Good. First of all, do you feel guilty, Quatre?"  
  
"Guilty? Well, yes, we all do I hope for all the people we killed in the war…why?"  
  
Ryuujin's features hardened as he gripped his sword in self- restraint.  
  
"Second, Question. Do you remember anything from the time when you where under the influence of the Zero system during the war?"  
  
"Well…Kind of it's more of a blur really. It was even hard for me to control myself while the Zero system controlled my fate. Does that help you Ry…"  
  
Quatre was cut of by Ryu throwing him to the ground and pinning his shoulders.  
  
"Was it still one big blur when you destroyed MY PARENTS? WELL WAS IT QUATRE?!"  
  
A mad furry had entered Ryu's eye's and Quatre couldn't even move much less reply.  
  
"I…I…"  
  
"Quatre-Raberba Winner" The blue haired swordsman raised his sword high ready to stab Quatre. "I will now avenge my parents by slaying their slayer! I…am sorry my friend but this is deeper then you…any last words?"  
  
Quatre closed his eye certain of death. " Yes. Take care of Chase for me, she needs all the help she can get. And…" Quatre's voice lowered and Ryu drew closer. "Make her a good wife some day like she was before all this happened, I think that was when she was happiest."  
  
Ryu shut his eyes and raised his blade high in the air. Ryuujin's voice dropped to a solemn tone "Bye Quatre."  
  
"NO!" Trowa bashed Ryuujin to the side. "Go Quatre, NOW!"  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
"Trowa?"  
  
"GO QUATRE! GO NOW!"  
  
Quatre stumbled to his feet and dashed off in to the cold nights air.  
  
"DAMN IT! Trowa!? Why?! Where?! What?! No I don't even care!" Ryu stood up to face Trowa. "Damn you Trowa! How dare you stop me! This was my only chance! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"  
  
"Look, Ryu is it? I don't care what kind of opportunity this was but…"  
  
"You! … tell me this Trowa Barton. Would you give you life for Quatre's?"  
  
"…Yes I would Ryu."  
  
"Then it is settled. Quatre's life shall be spared for yours Mr. Barton."  
  
"Ryu. I don't know why you so bent on killing Quatre or why you all of the sudden are blood thirsty but…"  
  
"Blood thirsty? O no my friend this isn't blood thirsty. You wouldn't want to see me when I'm…blood thirsty." A grim smile crept over Ryu's face as he threw off his cumbersome cloak.  
  
"Enough talk Ryu. Am I going to have to kill you?"  
  
"Heh, or try at least."  
  
Trowa lifted his gun and pointed it at Ryuujin. The gun went off and no one was there.  
  
"Missed!?."  
  
A voice whispered out from behind Trowa. "You didn't miss. I dodged."  
  
A wave off pain stuck through Trowa's back and to his chest. "That will slow you down."  
  
Trowa clasped his hands into a ball and reeled around, hitting Ryu upside the head and throwing his off balance.  
  
"What did you do!?" Trowa felt his back where the pain came first.  
  
Ryu grinned, "See for your self." Trowa reached back and pulled out a long jagged knife about six inches long and purposely rusted.  
  
"Aaah!" Trowa fought off the pain of the open wound, gritting his teeth he stuck the knife in his belt.  
  
"Hurts, aye?" Ryu gripped his fist and punched Trowa in the face breaking his nose. "Bet that hurt too."  
  
Trowa re-gathered his concentration and swung back at Ryu catching him off guard.  
  
"Aaah my eye!" Ryu placed a hand over one eye as he looked back for Trowa, but he was gone. "Trowa? Trooooooooooowa where aaaaaaare you?"  
  
"Right here!" Trowa shouted from behind Ryu.  
  
"Huh?" Ryu turned around just in time to see Trowa leap into the air spinning, as Trowa's round kick slammed him to the ground. "Hey Ryu! DID THAT HURT?! AYE?! DID IT!?"  
  
Ryuujin's vision blurred as he fought for consciousness. "My head…"  
  
Trowa through down a pack he had had strapped on his side. He rummaged through it for a few seconds and pulled out some bandages and began to try and seal his wound as fast as possible.  
  
"…For my…parents…for my parents…" Ryu stumbled to his feet with a renewed spirit. "This one is… FOR MY PARENTS!" Ryu darted off towards Trowa, who had now finished wrapping his wound. "Take THIS!" Ryu leapt up and towards Trowa with one knee forward, bringing his back foot forward and up to meet Trowa's jaw. Trowa flew upward off the ground and into the air four feet before falling flat on his back to the ground.  
  
What life was left in Trowa's eye's seemed gone. His head lay limp and to the side, his hands strews out across.  
  
Ryu knelt down next to him "Good bye Trowa." Ryu lifted his sword from its sheath.  
  
Just as Ryu was about to deal the finishing blow Trowa blinked and looked up at Ryu " Surprise!" Trowa reached to his belt and pulled out the dagger and plunged it into Ryu's chest.  
  
Ryu reeled back in pain as he pulled the knife from his chest, ripping out some flesh.  
  
By now both men were bloodied, tiered, and just all out pissed off at their opponent. A cold breeze blew through the night air as the two men stared at each other, and smiled.  
  
  
  
Quatre raced down the streets of Tokyo.  
  
"What the heck was THAT?! Ryuujin tried to kill me! Man this has been some kind of week Quatre old boy." Quatre stopped abruptly and ducked into a nearby alley. "Wait a second, what am I going to do now? First I'm worried about my partner Trowa then Ryu's lost it and now Trowa's shown up again! What next?" Quatre sighed and began to jog towards where Chase was staying "Maybe Chase will know what to do with those guys." Then he thought to himself "As if she ever does."  
  
  
  
Ryuujin's back slammed against the alley wall, his skin grinded as he slid to the ground.  
  
"I have to hand it to you Trowa I really am glad I'm fighting you instead of Quatre. He wouldn't have put up any fight."  
  
"Shut up you sick son of…" Trowa leapt in the air for a drop kick on Ryu.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Ryu kicked up his leg and caught Trowa's stomach when he landed. "You're not getting off that easy Trowa." Ryu kicked his boot knife as hard as possible and it broke through the bottom of his shoe and entered Trowa. As warm blood seeped from Trowa's mouth he backed up slid a knife out of his body for the second time that day. "Okay Trowa its time to finish this. If you think you can muster enough strength to get to the top of this building with the fire escape will end it, if you don't make it up there and you leave you will be spared and I will kill Quatre instead. Your choice, Silencer."  
  
Ryu knelt down low to the ground and yaulped with power as he shot into the air back flipping onto the roof behind him.  
  
Trowa's mouth gaped open. "He's just not human!"  
  
  
  
Quatre's pace slowed as he came to the realization that he had no clue where Chase was.  
  
"Confound it, where could Chase be? Well I guess my best shot is to head towards her appointment and maybe stumble…" Quatre's shoulder clipped into a stranger as he strolled down the street.  
  
"Oh I'm horribly sorry miss, I didn't mean too…Chase? Chase is that you?  
  
"Quatre what are you doing here?"  
  
Quatre sighed "Your going to need to sit down for this one Chase." 


	42. Blood Stains and Battle Scars

Forty-two: Blood Stains and Battle Scars  
  
Trowa threw his wait over the lip of the roofs edge "Now to just find Ryu *Cocks his gun* and finish this stupid brawl.  
  
"No hiding this time Trowa, like I said, we finish this."  
  
"Very well Ryu. But this time I won't miss."  
  
"Nether will I."  
  
Ryu sprinted off at Trowa, sword ready. Trowa fired two bullets into Ryu, one hitting him in the shoulder and the other in the chest. Ryu slid to his knees in from of Trowa and blood ran form his mouth.  
  
"I told you I wouldn't miss Ryu."  
  
"And I …said the same." Ryu smiled at Trowa who now had the Dragon Blade going all the way through him.  
  
Ryu stood up with a limp. "Not dead yet? Darn you assassins take a while to kill." Ryu gripped the handle of his sword with two hands. "Ready for a ride Trowa?" Ryu motioned to behind Trowa.  
  
Trowa, still stunned, turned to see his fate, a twelve-foot gap between a four-story drop. "Ryu…don't."  
  
"Too late!" Ryu heaved as he lifted the skewered Trowa off the ground a swung the sword hard.  
  
Trowa slid off the sword and flew through the air and landed with a roll onto the neighboring building.  
  
"Damn, too much power." Ryu's gaze shifted to the floor next to him where Trowa had dropped his gun. "This SHOULD do the trick, if not …I could always decapitate him."  
  
Trowa struggled to his feet. Ryu was standing right behind him and he could tell. "So Ryu … after I die…"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do me a favor."  
  
"Uh sure, I guess."  
  
"No decapitations?"  
  
"Sure, why not?"  
  
Ryu pressed the gun to Trowas back and unloaded the last 8 rounds in the gun on Trowa point-blank. Trowa fumbled forward as Ryu shot him. Right before he fell over the ledge he turned to Ryu and grabbed his arm.  
  
"No you fool!"  
  
"You think I'd go alone?"  
  
"NOOOOOOOO!"  
  
Trowa smashed to the ground and Ryu soon after falling on Trowa.  
  
Both men lay soaking in a pool of blood, unconscious, or possibly even dead.  
  
Anna stalked the streets of Tokyo, searching for any sign of Victor. She'd catch glimpses of him before he'd vanish from sight only to reappear to keep her on track. They were playing cat and mouse, but she could not figure out why he had put himself in the position of the mouse. She turned down one alley to take a shortcut. The young woman frowned as she caught sight of a figure leaning against the wall across the street.  
  
"Quatre?" she asked hesitantly.  
  
He looked up at her, tears streaking down his pale cheeks. "He's dead, Anna. I can feel it."  
  
She glanced around and put a hand on his arm. "Who, Quatre?"  
  
"Trowa. Ryuujin tried to kill me, but Trowa came and stopped him. I thought I should find Chase, but now he's gone," Quatre said, wiping the side of his face with his hand.  
  
"Wait, Ryuujin tried to kill you? Was he insane?" Anna asked aghast. When Ryuujin went crazy, he usually sought Chase or her out before killing random people. Or at least that's how she thought it worked.  
  
Quatre shook his head. "No, that's what I don't understand. He wasn't crazy Anna."  
  
The younger woman felt movement behind her. Her eyes narrowed, but she rubbed Quatre's arm. "Listen, Quat. Did you find Chase?"  
  
He nodded. "We found them, we found their bodies…" he trailed off. "She told me to call Heero."  
  
"Did you call him?"  
  
He nodded. "I just can't go back, Anna. I can't see him, not like that." He murmured.  
  
"Babe, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Go back to the hotel or somewhere safe, okay? I'm sure Chase has it under control."  
  
He nodded again.  
  
She smiled. "Good. Pull it together, Quat, we need your soldier side back. I'll be back."  
  
They moved away from each other, one in search of life and the other in search of death.  
  
Anna slipped into a different alley. This one was a dead end and not very well lit. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," she called.  
  
"I would comply, but then I would be giving up control of the board." Victor's voice rang out at her.  
  
Anna turned around but saw nothing. She cautiously moved further into the alley, gun in hand. "Why are you doing this?"  
  
He sighed. "I'm dying, Ms. Mei. Not mentally, I shall take my wits with me to the grave. Physically however I have been marked by Death himself."  
  
"Oh, you've met my husband?" Anna said dryly.  
  
He smirked. "Your former husband, yes. We had the pleasure of meeting."  
  
"You're still standing, too. Congratulations. Not many people accomplish that."  
  
"You've got some wit yourself, Ms. Mei. Your former husband is not a threat to me. My superiors were not happy with my overall performance. So I'm going out on my own terms, and taking my competitor with me. As a soldier, you should understand that."  
  
*Is* not a threat? Anna thought. The mental question was ripped from her mind as an explosion went off behind her and she was momentarily frozen when a bolt of electric like pain ran through her nerves.  
  
"A gentleman always makes the first move." Victor said.  
  
Anna realized she was in a lot of trouble. She shot down the alley, merging herself into the shadows. She reached up and grabbed the fire ladder and hauled herself up on to it. He could see her, she knew. She had to end this and fast.  
  
His form appeared at the end of the alley. There was madness in his eyes. "Why are you running away? We're both being called on to something different. Can't you feel it?"  
  
Anna waited. He moved closer. He was determined for them both to die.  
  
"You aren't making this any fun, Ms. Mei. Haven't you ever heard of risk?"  
  
"Have you ever heard of Monopoly?" Anna muttered before she could stop herself.  
  
He turned his body in her direction, but he hadn't spotted her yet. He grinned sadistically in the darkness. "There's another popular game. It's called the game of Life. I always thought it was funny to be able to play all of Life in forty minutes or so. I also thought it was ironic there was no cemetery at the end. You either got a little shack or a giant mansion. But that's not what's at the end of Life. Don't you agree?"  
  
He became angry at her lack of response. "Don't you? Answer me! You have to agree! You have to play!" he screamed.  
  
She took a deep breath. He was close enough now. "Yes, I agree. You forget whom you are speaking to. Once upon a time, Death was my life, and I was his angel. Then it caught up to him, Victor. It catches up to everyone. But my game isn't over yet."  
  
Victor fired again, barely missing her shoulder. Anna muttered a curse under her breath and quickly jumped down from her position. She grabbed her fan from her jacket pocket and flicked out the blade, swinging it at him. He came at her, that wild, insane look still in his gold eyes. Something in General Victor had snapped.  
  
Something gold fell out from under his collar stopped only by the chain it was resting on. Anna stared at it.  
  
"What the devil?" she muttered.  
  
He leered at her. "Didn't I tell you? I have your wedding rings. It binds us together to play the game."  
  
Anna felt the rage grow in her and she leapt from her spot, tackling him to the ground. His gun flew off to the side, leaving the enraged ex-Star pilot straddling him. She shoved the barrel of her magnum to his forehead.  
  
"Victor, for crimes against the people of earth and the colonies, and as a threat to peace, you are condemned to die." She growled.  
  
He was too weak to fight her off so he just grinned wickedly at her. "You can't kill me. You aren't strong enough."  
  
"How much you willing to stake on that?"  
  
"You'll be damned forever!" he shrieked wildly.  
  
"I doubt it, but in case you're right, I'll see you in hell!" Anna snarled. She ripped the chain off his neck, and fired. Once, twice, then three times the gun went off.  
  
Anna fell away from the man, clutching the rings in her left palm. She stared at what she had done before stumbling further back into the alley. She backed into the wall and the young woman slid down it. Cautiously she pulled the sides of her jacket back and drew in a sharp breath.  
  
He had done more damage than she had previously thought. The lower half of her white blouse was imbrued, turning it a crimson color. She shut her eyes and a tear fell down her face.  
  
"I'm sorry," she whispered.  
  
The rings fell from her fingers, clanking onto the cold surface. Silence reigned then in the alleys of Tokyo.  
  
***  
  
Darkling I listen; and, for many a time  
  
I have been half in love with easeful Death,  
  
Called him soft names in any a mused rhyme,  
  
To take into the air my quiet breath;  
  
Now more than ever it seems rich to die,  
  
To cease upon the midnight with no pain  
  
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad  
  
In such ecstasy!  
  
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain  
  
To thy high requiem become a sod.  
  
~Keats 


	43. Foolish Games

Chapter Forty-three: Foolish Games  
  
*Authors Note: This little section is pure angst between Heero*Chase and Ryuujin*Chase! I don't own the song "Foolish Games" that I use in here. It is sung/own by the talented Jewel. I highly recommend you go out now and buy the CD (that is AFTER you read Anna's and my stories!) Domo arigatou.*  
  
Chase raced down the sidewalk with Quatre in tow. His eyes were trained on the young assassin as she ran with speed she had forgotten she held within her small frame.  
  
They rounded the corner and Chase was the first to lay eyes on the scene before them. Blood was everywhere. It drenched the building, the ground, and the two men that lay lifelessly in the pooling crimson liquid.  
  
Chase heard the young Arabian man reach her side and gasp, hands going to his mouth in fear, if not to hold back the nauseous feeling that the scene caused to well up inside of him.  
  
"Trowa..."  
  
The former pilot of the Gundam Galaxy came from the shocked silence first. "TROWA! RYUUJIN!" her voice ran through the quiet night air, breath showing in the chill. She found herself kneeling next to them before her mind registered she was moving towards them.  
  
No life remained in Trowa Barton, but a slight spark remained in the blue haired swordsman.  
  
"Chase...?" Quatre's voice sounded in her ears, uncertain. It was never suppose to end like this. They were family...Family...  
  
"Call Heero," Chase heard herself command, hearing the assassin's tone creeping back into her voice. "Tell him to come here. Trowa's dead and Ryuujin needs help." She paused, allowing emotion to seep back in. "Tell him to hurry, Quatre."  
  
The blond nodded and rushed off to do as the former assassin had commanded.  
  
Brown coloured eyes took in the scene in more detail. She found Ryuujin's hand and gripped it, praying for life to stay with him.  
  
Reflective blue eyes cracked open and attempted to focus on the woman leaning over him. He coughed, tasting his own blood. "Chase-chan..."  
  
"You got yourself into quite a predicament, ne, Ryu-chan?"  
  
He smiled weakly and reached a bloodied hand up to touch her pale face. "I had my reasons, Chase-chan," he assured her.  
  
"And don't for a moment think you are going to get out of telling me them." He opened his mouth to speak, but she placed a finger to his lips, hushing him. "When you have the strength to do so, that is. For now, you'll rest until Heero comes to help us."  
  
"Did I win?" the young swordsman asked quietly.  
  
"Trowa's dead." She hadn't meant to sound so cold, not really.  
  
Ryuujin's eyes seemed to acknowledge his understanding. "I can't say I'm sorry."  
  
"I never asked you to. I did ask for you to rest though. I refuse to loose both of you, do you hear me?"  
  
He nodded, a movement barely visible.  
  
Chase frowned and sat down, pulling the blue haired man's head into her lap, attempting to make him as comfortable as possible. She would not loose them both. A tear slipped down her cheek.  
  
Ryuujin reached up and caught it before it fell to the ground. "It would have happened sooner or later."  
  
"I know. We're only human after all."  
  
"I may not regret what I did, but I regret that it hurts you."  
  
"Thank you, Ryu."  
  
"He's on his way!" Quatre's called as he made his way around the corner. He stopped and looked at Ryuujin, unsure quite what to say or do.  
  
Chase nodded her gratitude. "I think I hear the squeal of the tires," she whispered distantly.  
  
She had, and Heero came flying out of the car once it was parked. No fear showed in his stone cold face, but the mask of a soldier rested on his handsome features. He stood over Ryuujin and Chase.  
  
"Help me." This was a command, yet more like the ones she gave long ago. The command that was not meant to offend, but get something done.  
  
"Hn," was his response as he leaned down and helped support the taller man's weight. Quatre came along the other side and together they eased the swordsman into the car.  
  
Heero returned for Chase and Trowa's body.  
  
"We can't leave him," the woman whispered.  
  
"He's dead."  
  
"His body, I mean. The least we can do is take him to Meg. He'll have a soldier's funeral." Her tone was dead. No emotion in the young pilot's voice had always made Heero uncomfortable. The lack of emotion in her dark eyes, though, frightened him more than he would admit. It was never safe for Chase Yuy not to voice her pains and sufferings.  
  
"Yes, he will," her husband, promised.  
  
Heero drove. He drove until he reached the entrance to Underground Tokyo. Then he drove in. He only stopped to enter and once they reached the hospital inside. All the time he kept his mask carefully in place.  
  
Mirek was irate. "Anna will have a fit when she finds Chase down here!" he hissed.  
  
"One:" Heero said in shaky English - it had been far too long and he was out of practice - "slow down. Two: Chase would have found out sooner or later. Anna knows that."  
  
Mirek grumbled some colourful words under his breath.  
  
Chase found herself sitting by Ryuujin's bedside. She frowned. He had been heavily drugged and was now sleeping peacefully. Now was when she wanted - needed - to talk.  
  
"I loved him, ya know," she whispered, knowing he couldn't hear. "And I still do. Just like I still love you."  
  
/You took your coat off  
  
and stood in the rain  
  
You were always crazy like that./  
  
  
  
"But I can't love either of you like I love him. He was my first true love. If things had been different, Ryu, I could have loved you just the same. You simply came along after he took my heart. I didn't have it to give. I'm sorry...."  
  
She smiled humorlessly. "See you around, Ryuujin. Maybe in another time we'd have been happy. Maybe." That said, the young assassin left the room.  
  
Two reflective blue eyes slid open and he sighed. He'd lost her.  
  
/I watched you from my window.  
  
Always felt like I was outside, looking in on you./  
  
Chase wandered the streets of the underground city. The normal curiosity that should have filled her was smothered by the dark mood she found herself in.  
  
The blond woman soon found herself inside an empty church. Ironic. That was the last place she wanted to be. Her firm beliefs in God Above seemed worthless now. There had to be a time that He became fed up with someone like herself. Worthless to anything but spreading death wherever she went.  
  
Her boots made no sound as she walked up the isle. She fingered the gun inside her jacket and finally removed it from its hiding place once she reached the front.  
  
Kneeling down she played with the idea to see where the bullets lay in the chamber. She'd always seen Russian roulette to be a morbid game, but it seemed perfectly entertaining now.  
  
/You were always the mysterious one  
  
with dark eyes and careless hair  
  
You were fashionably sensitive  
  
but too cool to care/  
  
"Doshite?" she demanded quietly. She'd never found herself angry with God before now. "Doshite?! You throw people back into my life to steal them away again? Why for just once can't it go right?!"  
  
She spun the chamber again and raised it. Her thin fingers wrapped around it as if it would break in her grasp. Perhaps she was the one fragile in the hands of others. She'd never felt so fragile in all her years.  
  
/You stood in my doorway with nothing to say  
  
Besides some comment on the weather./  
  
Two bullets, she looked to find. One was all it would take to escape, but wasn't that cowardly?  
  
/Well in case you failed to notice  
  
In case you failed to see  
  
This is my heart bleeding before you  
  
This is me down on my knees/  
  
"Why?!" she screamed. "Don't You care? Are You even listening to me? Answer me, confound it!"  
  
Silence greeted her. Unnerving silence. The crash of her gun being hurled across the sanctuary was the only noise. Tears streamed down her pale face as she screamed again. "You never answer me! Are You even there?"  
  
/These foolish games are tearing me apart.  
  
Your thoughtless words are breaking my heart.  
  
You're breaking my heart./  
  
She collapsed to the floor sobbing into her hands. Her whole body shook from the choked cries.  
  
She felt two strong arms encircle her and the familiar presence of Heero Yuy filled her senses. "He's forgotten me," she whispered.  
  
"No, He never has."  
  
She laughed coldly. "You're one to talk of God. You don't even believe in Him."  
  
"Things change. People change." He wiped her tears away.  
  
/You were always brilliant in the morning.  
  
Smoking your cigarettes  
  
and talking over coffee./  
  
Chase smiled slightly, but it soon turned into a thoughtful frown. "Things change..." she repeated quietly. "Too many. How can you kill one of your own?"  
  
Heero winced slightly. She didn't know about Jack Avis yet. She didn't know how he had...  
  
The smaller pilot clung to him, sobbing softly.  
  
"You wanted to take it, didn't you?"  
  
She blinked and looked up through questioning, tear-filled eyes.  
  
/Your philosophies on art  
  
Baroque moved you  
  
You loved Mozart, and you'd speak of your loved ones  
  
as I clumsily strummed my guitar./  
  
"Your life," Heero said simply, eyes locked on the gun several feet away.  
  
"Death's always knocking on my door. Sometimes I wish it would just come in and claim me."  
  
"No, Chase," the Japanese man said firmly. "No."  
  
"Yes. I want to get away from it all, Heero. It's all gone downhill. It's all…"  
  
"So you'll run?"  
  
  
  
/You'd teach me of honest things.  
  
Things that were daring,  
  
Things that were clean,  
  
Things that knew what an honest dollar did mean./  
  
"I can't handle it, Heero."  
  
He pulled her closer. "Then let me help you, Chase. Please?"  
  
She nodded. "When this war is over…"  
  
"Let's build that bridge when we get to it, ne?"  
  
"No. I need something to look forward to. When this is over, will I be at your side?"  
  
  
  
1.1.1.1 /So I hid my soiled hands behind my back.  
  
1.1.1.2 Somewhere along the line  
  
I must have gone off track with you./  
  
"If that's what you want," he replied slowly.  
  
"It is."  
  
"Then that's how it'll be."  
  
Chase smiled and brushed a lock of hair out of her love's face.  
  
1.1.1.3 /Excuse me  
  
Think I've mistaken you for somebody else.  
  
Somebody who gave a damn.  
  
Somebody more like myself./  
  
She leaned in and kissed him, a silent jester of love as well as thanks. No words had ever truly been needed between them.  
  
"He heard me," she whispered.  
  
"I know."  
  
/You took your coat off and stood in the rain.  
  
You were always crazy like that./ 


	44. Broken Wings of Fallen Angels

Chapter Forty Four: Broken Wings of Fallen Angels  
  
(A/N: SUGOI!!! I can upload again!!!)  
  
  
  
"She hasn't come back yet." Mirek said flatly, staring out the window.  
  
Wufei was leaning against the wall next to him. "I know. Give it time."  
  
"It's been hours. She should have been back by now."  
  
"She's capable." Wufei said.  
  
The hosptal had become the meeting grounds for the former gundam pilots and their multiple associates. Heero and Chase had returned, meeting up with Wufei, Quatre, Cavel, and Mirek. Meg was doing the autopsy on Jack Avis, which was taking a remarkable amount of time.  
  
Chase stepped up behind the two men. "She? As in Anna?"  
  
Wufei's dark eyes met her green ones. "Yes. She was called out by Victor hours ago. She never came back."  
  
Chase had to stop her jaw from dropping. "Why aren't you out looking for her?!" she shouted.  
  
"Because we have no idea where to look for her! Tokyo is a huge city and she has no means of communication on her." Mirek replied.  
  
  
  
  
  
Meg met Heero at the central desk on the floor they had Ryuujin on.  
  
"You rang?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah. Where is he?"  
  
Meg shrugged. "Said he had a bad feeling and that'd he'd be back. He went above ground, I know that."  
  
The Japanese man frowned.  
  
  
  
Chase stormed above ground, Wufei and Mirek on her heels.  
  
  
  
She was close; he could feel it. She was fighting slipping away for good; she was waiting for him. A knowing smirk crossed his pale features and violet glinted under the moonlight. His angel was waiting for him.  
  
He found the alley without much effort. The familiar presence of Death filled it, but whether from the dead general on the ground or the promise of it over the girl he could not tell. She would not die tonight.  
  
He knelt by her and warmth seeped through him. He ran his fingers over her cold lips and face. They were cold, but not frozen. The promise of life was still in her, because she had waited. He picked the rings up off the cement and pocketed them. They would have to discuss that later.  
  
He slipped an arm under her knees and the other behind her back. He gently lifted her broken form off the ground and headed back to the Underground where they would be safe.  
  
  
  
Shinigami had returned to claim his Angel.  
  
  
  
Teal blue eyes flitted open and Quatre gazed around the waiting room from the chair he had dozed off in. Something didn't feel right, other than the loss of Trowa. Something had woken him up, but he didn't know what. He rubbed his arms through his shirt and stood to get the blood flowing in his legs.  
  
He walked towards the emergency ward, not even realizing where he was going. He was mostly following the feeling in his heart. He slowed as he neared the doors leading into the emergency room. It was apparently a slow night, because there was no one there at the moment but him. That feeling was familiar, as if he'd felt it before. He inched closer.  
  
The doors swung open and a cold breeze blew in. Quatre backed up a few steps as a figure imerged in the light.  
  
"Duo!" Quatre gasped.  
  
The American smiled grimly. "Hey, Quatre. Get help, and quick, would you?"  
  
The pale Arabian was at first too shocked to do anything but stare at the scene before him. Duo -who was supposed to be dead- holding Anna, who looked like she was.  
  
"Just go, Quatre," Duo said firmly.  
  
Then he moved, running back down the hall as fast as his weary body could take him. He started shouting, trying to get someone's attention, and ran straight into Meg Collins.  
  
She grabbed his shoulders and steadied him. "What's going on?" she demanded.  
  
He pointed back towards the emergency wing. "It's Anna and Duo."  
  
Meg looked that way sharply. "What happened? Is he all right?"  
  
Quatre shook his head. "It's not him, it's her."  
  
The young woman paled. "Oh crap." She grabbed the phone on the desk next to her and hit the intercom. "Doctor Ikeda and Doctor Tomino to emergency now!" she shouted.  
  
Quatre watched as Meg ran towards where he had come from. He leaned against the wall and pulled out his cell phone.  
  
"Wufei? We found Anna. And Duo's alive."  
  
  
  
Wufei froze, causing Mirek to nearly collide with him. The Chinese man could say nothing, only grip the phone more tightly. Mirek waved a hand in front of his face and Wufei batted him away.  
  
"Maxwell's alive?" he finally asked quietly.  
  
"What?!" Chase and Mirek exclaimed.  
  
"Yes." Quatre said, looking around the hospital corridor. "He's very much alive."  
  
"Why were they at the hospital? Did they hear about Ryuujin?" Wufei asked. Asking that was easier than asking if one of them was injured. If Anna had lost to Victor.  
  
"I don't think so. Anna looked pretty bad. There was a lot of blood on her shirt." Quatre replied.  
  
Wufei cursed low under his breath. "We're headed back now." He said, hanging up. "Anna's been shot."  
  
  
  
Heero found Quatre in the waiting room.  
  
"Are they back?" he asked.  
  
"Not yet."  
  
They were silent.  
  
Quatre met Heero's gaze. "You knew he was alive."  
  
Heero looked at the floor. "No. Not until yesterday."  
  
"I don't understand, Heero. You said."  
  
"It wasn't him. He was kidnapped almost a week ago and we didn't even know it." Heero said, looking none too pleased with the fact.  
  
"You found him on the mission?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
They looked up as Chase, Wufei and Mirek entered the waiting area.  
  
"Where are they?" Mirek asked.  
  
"Where is she?" Chase asked at the same time.  
  
"In surgery." Duo answered, following in behind them.  
  
All the former pilots and Mirek turned at stared at him.  
  
"She was shot in the lower right back." Duo added on.  
  
"Maxwell.how." Wufei trailed off.  
  
"Heero's the better one to explain." The American sighed, sitting down. He and Mirek stared at each other for a long moment.  
  
The rest of them sat down as well.  
  
"Explain." Chase demanded of her husband.  
  
Heero shifted in his seat. "We found him in Victor's palace as it was burning in Germany."  
  
  
  
*flashback*  
  
  
  
Meg Collins stood in front of the computer pad on the first level of the prison wings. There were forty total, some OWN soldiers who failed to obey orders, some civilians whom had seen too much, some spies from the A.C. time, and some unknowns. Most of the people there were in good enough condition to walk -or run- out on their own. The upper floors were all ready burning; she and Heero were running out of time.  
  
Heero came back supporting a young man who had received muscle contractions in his legs as 'incentive' to talk, and couldn't walk on his own. The Japanese man passed him off to a comrade who would carry him to safety outside.  
  
"How many?" Heero asked, wiping sweat off of his forehead.  
  
"Left or out?" Meg asked in reply.  
  
"Out."  
  
"Thirty. There are ten on the lowest level we need to get. I can't open the door locks from here."  
  
"We'll have to use the stairs. The elevators have shut down." Heero said.  
  
Meg nodded as they took off. They had been on the first level, and there were seven levels below that, totaling eight in all. They made it to the bottom without interference.  
  
Heero surveyed they computer system on the floor. "They all have to be undone manually."  
  
"Let's hope they're all conscious. We can't carry ten people out of here." Meg said.  
  
They started on the separate doors. The two young people got lucky with the first six, all of them were able to get out on their own. Meg decrypted the seventh door and opened it.  
  
The prisoner was on a metal table, attached to two IV's.  
  
"Crap." Meg muttered. She went over to the table and grabbed the chart laying haphazardly on a nearby table. She scanned down the list of drugs and checked the cart. She found the necessary quantities, and administered them through one of the IVs. She unhooked the other IV and moved to the next room.  
  
Heero had released two more, which left only one at the end of the hall. Meg had found her next room empty and she came back to the hall. Heero was heading for the last room when part of the building overhead exploded, sending shock waves down to their position.  
  
Meg shrieked and they both covered their eyes from falling ceiling bits. Collecting her wits enough, she dashed back into the room with the unconscious prisoner in it. He was awake enough to move then.  
  
She pulled him out into the hallway, only to see Heero moving back towards the last doorway.  
  
"Forget it, Heero! We'll never make it at this point!" she shouted. Another part of the building exploded.  
  
Heero paused at the door. She was right. This was a foolish endeavor. Yet.  
  
"No. I'm not leaving anyone behind." He started the code processor.  
  
Meg sighed. "You would have made a good doctor, Yuy." She said. The building shook again as the door slid open. Heero stepped inside, and the young coroner could hear his low gasp, even over the roar of the fire above them.  
  
She leaned the man she was holding against the wall and jogged to his side. She frowned. "So, he is alive."  
  
Heero gaped at her. "You knew? You did an autopsy on him! He died in front of me."  
  
Meg blinked and patted his arm. "Breathe. No one told you? The person I did an autopsy on wasn't Duo Maxwell."  
  
"Why wasn't I told?!?" he shouted.  
  
Somewhere over their heads, they heard glass break. "Not now." Meg said.  
  
Duo, like the man she had found before, was on a metal table, chestnut hair spilling out under his head. She grabbed the chart. She glanced at the medications littering the room around them. She looked to Heero, who was bent over the American, shaking his shoulder.  
  
"I can't wake him up, Heero. They don't have the anti drugs here."  
  
He met her gaze. "We'll worry about that later. Bring the chart. Let's go." He scooped Duo into his arms and ran back to the hall. Meg grabbed the man she had gotten earlier.  
  
Unable to get back to the surface, they escaped through an underground tunnel on the first level. It came out at the edge of the forest across from the castle. They stood for several minutes, watching the once majestic building crumble.  
  
"I don't know how you think we're going to wake him up, Heero. None of the drugs on the list are legal." Meg said.  
  
"I know where we can get them."  
  
"I really don't want to.What?"  
  
"I know where we can get them. Let's go."  
  
They left the last prisoner with a group of them that had assembled outside of the city.  
  
Heero took them to a private shuttle launch that he knew of in the area. He directed them to L2.  
  
"What are we going to find on L2?" Meg asked.  
  
"Dr. J's old laboratory." Heero answered, almost smugly.  
  
True to his word, that's what they found when they landed two hours later. It was a huge warehouse in the middle of no-man's-land.  
  
Heero carried the drugged Duo inside, Meg following behind. She switched on the lights, and stood in awe of what was displayed. The place was tall enough to hold a gundam, and wide enough to store three of them. It had a second story that ran around the edge of the building, almost like a track in a gym.  
  
Meg wandered around aimlessly as Heero found a medical table and laid Duo on it. The young woman stood in front of a cylinder shaped tube labeled 'Particle Transporter.' She picked up the file on it that was next to the contraption. At the bottom in big red letters it read 'NON-FUNCTIONAL.'  
  
"What's this?" Meg asked, looking at Heero.  
  
The ex-Zero pilot smiled grimly. "You'd have to ask Anna. She'd tell the story better. Let's get this over with, shall we?"  
  
Meg nodded and moved over to the case that housed over a thousand differently labeled drugs. "He didn't take all these, did he?"  
  
"I doubt it." Heero said. Meg consulted the papers she'd brought with her on what they had administered. "Idiots. A mix like this could kill someone." she mumbled.  
  
"Trust me. He's probably immune from any poisoning." Heero said dryly.  
  
Meg either didn't hear or chose to ignore the comment. She looked over the cabinet and picked out the drugs she needed to wake the former Deathscythe pilot up. "They were going to have a family and everything." She said softly. She gave Duo three shots, and a few minutes later he began to stir. Meg nodded in absent approval and wandered away again to look around.  
  
Duo's eyes opened and he blinked, unsure -again- of his surroundings. He was surprised to see Heero standing over him.  
  
"Heero?" he asked groggily.  
  
The somber pilot actually smiled. "Hey."  
  
Meg sat at a computer that was still running, which was surprising to her since the place was obviously abandoned and only Heero knew about it. She turned on the monitor and an expression of shock played over her face. "In the name of Jude."  
  
"We can go now." Heero announced. He had one arm over Duo's shoulders, steadying the still shaky man.  
  
Meg grinned. "Sure thing. You get him out to the shuttle. I'm going to grab a few medications just in case he has any side effects."  
  
Heero glared at her suspiciously, but did what she suggested. *end flashback*  
  
"And that's the way it went." Heero said.  
  
"You really can't be killed, can you?" Chase asked Duo flatly.  
  
The old grin returned briefly. "I told you, didn't I?"  
  
Meg appeared in the doorway, blood on her hands and smock. Everyone stiffened slightly.  
  
"She's a lot better off than Ryuujin, let me tell you. The bullet didn't do any damage to her spine. Blood loss was the major factor." The doctor said. "I'm just glad I learned med terms in Japanese from Anna. Otherwise they wouldn't have let me assist."  
  
"Can we see her?" Duo asked.  
  
"As soon as they've moved her."  
  
  
  
The next two days went by without much change, save the fact that Cavel joined them at the hospital and Meg became highly secretive. Duo often sat quietly with his former wife, wondering why their wedding bands had been on the cement beside her. Ryuujin stirred every once in a while, but mostly slept. Quatre's spirit was troubled, and for once no one could cheer the usual optimistic young man up.  
  
It was well after midnight the third day that Anna had been in the hospital when she awoke to a mostly darkened room. She blinked several times to orientate herself, and noticed that it was raining steadily outside the window.  
  
"Welcome back."  
  
Anna turned her head in the direction of the familiar voice. "Meg." She rasped.  
  
Her friend handed her a cup with a straw.  
  
"How long?" Anna asked after she'd taken a sip.  
  
"Three days."  
  
"Victor?"  
  
"Dead."  
  
"Who found me?"  
  
Meg hesitated. "A passing priest."  
  
Anna frowned. "In an alley?"  
  
"You were near his church, he heard the gunshots." Meg said.  
  
Anna looked suspicious, but was too tired to argue with the woman. "Chase?"  
  
  
  
"Is back with Heero and fine."  
  
Anna smiled. "Good. What about everyone else?"  
  
"Wufei, Mirek, and Cavel are fine. Quatre is going through a little bit of depression. Ryuujin is recovering."  
  
The frown appeared again. "Trowa?"  
  
Meg hesitated again before sighing. "He's dead."  
  
Anna said nothing but returned to staring out the window.  
  
"In the morning, I want to show you something." Meg said quietly.  
  
Anna nodded. 


	45. Day for the Dead

Chapter Forty-five: Day for the Dead  
  
  
  
"Are you sure I'm not going to do damage doing this?" Anna asked as she clung to the IV stand, afraid to attempt the walk that Meg was suggesting.  
  
Meg sighed patiently. "You're a doctor. You tell me."  
  
Anna mumbled something in a language that Meg didn't understand and stood carefully. "I'll live. Why is this so important?"  
  
"You'll see. We don't have long. I called Chase this morning to tell her you were awake. They'll be here in fifteen minutes or so."  
  
The more than slightly confused ex-Star pilot followed in Meg's wake, down the hall to the elevator, and to the ICU unit. The coroner led her down to the private ICU rooms and stopped in front of the door that was marked '102'. Meg leaned against it and faced Anna.  
  
"I broke one of our rules from college."  
  
Anna blinked. "Rules? Oh, yes. Let's see if I remember.one, never get involved with a patient. Two, never second guess yourself, and three was never play God." She said.  
  
Meg nodded. "I broke number three."  
  
Anna's suspicions from the night before resurfaced. "How?"  
  
Meg opened the door and stepped inside. Anna followed slowly, afraid of what she was going to find there. The only noise she made was the squeaking of the wheels on her IV bar.  
  
At first, she didn't understand what Meg had done. She stared at the figure on the bed, uncomprehending. Then she gasped as her memory kicked in.  
  
/"Trowa, promise me, promise me you'll tell them," "You have to. Promise me, please."/  
  
"Jack Avis." Anna breathed. "How in the name of love."  
  
Meg shifted her stance a little as she stared at her patient. "When Heero and I went to Germany, we had to stop at Dr. J's old lab to pick up some medication for a prisoner who needed a stimulant. I found the drug that he used to bring back Heero and Duo."  
  
"Meg," Anna whispered, drawing closer to the boy on the bed, "Meg he'd been dead for almost two days."  
  
"Bodies keep for up to twelve days, you know that. He'll be fine, given adequate time to heal. It was a well-aimed bullet. He won't be able to be as athletic as he was before, but it shouldn't impede him too much."  
  
"Would he be able to pilot a gundam?" Anna asked absently.  
  
"I don't know. I don't know how much of a physical toll that would take. Why?"  
  
/Because we'll need someone else, now./ Anna thought. "I was just curious." She said softly.  
  
"I thought they were all destroyed, anyway."  
  
"They'll have to be rebuilt. They don't fight wars without Gundams anymore." Anna said.  
  
Meg nodded. "There's something else I have to show you."  
  
Anna touched Jack's cheek lightly. "You'll have to tell us now, Jack." She whispered.  
  
She followed Meg out of the room and further down the hall.  
  
"Meg, this is the wing for people who are inevitably dying." Anna said.  
  
"I know." The coroner stopped in front of another door. Anna's heart dropped to her stomach as she read the number. Meg took a deep breath and opened the door. Anna stepped in, inhaled shakily, and paled considerably.  
  
"My God." She choked out. "Meg how could you? You should have left him dead, for pity's sake."  
  
"I know. But I had to get rid of the formula, Anna. It was too dangerous to keep."  
  
"That's why you flush it down the toilet!" Anna hissed. "Did you even consider the irreparable amount of damage he'll have?"  
  
"Understand, it was something I had to do. You don't know what it's like to take dead flesh and make it live again. It's something unexplainable."  
  
"And better left for God." Anna said. It was hard for even to look at the mutilated form of Trowa Barton, hooked to multiple machinery, and hard to listen to the raspy sound of the respirator as it pumped air in and out of his lungs. "Does he have brain activity?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
Anna ran a hand through her unruly curls. "Damn."  
  
"He may or may not survive. Like you said, there's extensive damage." Meg met Anna's gaze. Anna nodded at the unspoken request there.  
  
"We tell no one until we're sure one way or the other." Anna said. "I just don't know what you're going to do when they want to bury him."  
  
Anna and Meg left the semi-silent room of Trowa Barton and made their way back to Anna's room.  
  
"I'm not sorry I did it." Meg said quietly.  
  
"I hope so. I hope so." Anna replied.  
  
They were about to enter her room when Chase and company got off the elevator.  
  
"Chase!" Anna called, grinning.  
  
"Anna!"  
  
The two girls embraced, grinning and laughing.  
  
"Anna no baka.next you want to go undercover tell me, ne?"  
  
Anna rolled her eyes. "Yeah, next time."  
  
They released each other and Anna hugged Quatre, who was standing behind the smaller American girl. Anna kissed the side of his head.  
  
"You okay?" she murmured.  
  
"Yeah." The blonde Arabian whispered. "You?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
They parted and Anna lifted her gaze and froze. She stared past Heero, Wufei, and Mirek to the man behind them. Everyone looked that way and Meg raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I forgot to mention him."  
  
Ocean blue eyes locked with violet ones and the world came to a screeching halt for Anna. /Oh, God, don't do this to me again. I can't do this again./ was all she could think before she collapsed.  
  
  
  
In a room down the hall, Ryuujin's eyes snapped open. A pained expression filled them, before becoming dispassionate. He had failed. There would be no compensation for that. When they came to look for him next, he would be gone.  
  
Because in the end, he would triumph.  
  
  
  
Ocean blue eyes fluttered open and were instantly met by dark brown ones. Anna smiled up at her friend.  
  
"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING COLLAPSING LIKE THAT?! YOU SCARED ME HALF TO DEATH!!!"  
  
Anna backed away as best as she could in the bed. "Go. Gomen ne, Chase- chan," she managed, attempting not to laugh at her fuming friend's face. Her face then turned serious as Duo stepped up behind Chase's small form. "Duo."  
  
Chase glanced back over her shoulder, smiled, and winked at her friend. "I'll give you two some time, ne?"  
  
Anna wanted to protest as Chase Yuy left the room, leaving her and Duo alone. Violet eyes connected with blue ones. "Duo." Why was that all she could say? Why couldn't she force her mouth to obey her commands. He was dead, wasn't he? Didn't Cavel, Heero, and Ryuujin all see the sight of him being shot down. Didn't Meg do an autopsy? How could he be standing there, very much alive?  
  
Apparently the Shinagami was fumbling for words as well. Anna motioned for him to move closer, and he knelt by her bed. She reached out a shaky hand to his face. "You're alive. Again."  
  
"You can't kill death."  
  
Anna laughed out loud, then stopped. "Naze?"  
  
"They have some very good technology in the field of disguise now," Duo responded, lopsided grin appearing on his face. "I'm glad to have you back, tenshi."  
  
  
  
Chase was leaning on the wall in the lobby. Waiting had never been something she enjoyed. Patience had never been something that came easy. She rubbed her hands together, the quick movements stealing the cold from them and warming them. Her dark eyes scanned the lobby. Quatre was sitting with his knees pulled to his chest in one of the chairs. Wufei and Cavel were on the opposite side of the small waiting room. Wufei was tapping his foot impatiently on the carpet. Mirek was stretched out on a bench chair, sleeping. Heero was leaning on the opposite wall.  
  
His dark eyes opened to meet hers. He was across the distance between them before she could blink, and took her in his arms. She smiled into his green colored shirt and wrapped her arms around his torso. "Ai shiteru," she whispered.  
  
"Come on," he responded as he let her go and started for the elevator.  
  
She followed him down to the entrance of the hospital and they stepped outside. He leaned up against the wall and looked up at the artificial lights. They were clouded over slightly, just like outside. The cold was not completely artificial though, and it bit into his thin shirt. "This is far from over," he muttered.  
  
Chase pulled her jean jacket closer around her slim shoulders, hoping for warmth to come with it. "Victor's dead."  
  
"And whoever was over him and his operations is alive."  
  
Chase nodded, her dark eyes looking up to her husband's. There was a determination in them that Heero recognized from the old days. The days when she had been an assassin first and everything else next. The days that were not as far behind him as he had once though. On the contrary, they were still ahead of them.  
  
"Then I will kill whoever that person is," the American woman said simply. "I will make them pay for what they've done to us." She clenched her bare hands into fists. "They will pay for what they've cost us." She smiled a smirk that Heero recognized. Something that many of the OZ soldiers had feared during the war. "They will pay for their multiple evils."  
  
  
  
(A/N: Aku.Zoku.San. *giggles uncontrollably in the most evil giggle she can muster * Gomen!! I had to say that!! Some of the readers might not even get it. Lol. Oh well. ^_^ I'm very sorry for the wait ya'll have had on this chapter and the next. _ I'm very lazy during the summer and I'm working on rewriting The Three Beats of War, Peace, and Revolution, Gundam Girls, AND working on my mangas. @_@ I will go to Japan and sell them yet! Confound it!! Btw, this is Chase-chan if you hadn't figured that out by now with the ranting style. Lol. Enjoy! ^_-) 


	46. What Do You Do When Good Guys Turn Bad?

Chapter Forty-six: What do you do when good guys turn bad?  
  
(A/N: This is a warning: I don't like Mirek. It shows. A/N2: The first note is from Chase. She wrote this chapter. And she bashed my Mirek. Ack.)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Tears stood in the ocean blue eyes of Anna. "Atashi."  
  
  
  
"Nani, tenshi? Nani de suka, Anna-chan? We're together again."  
  
"Atashi." Why was her mouth betraying her again? Why?  
  
"We are together, aren't we?" Duo whispered. He stood and backed away slightly, violet eyes widening with an unspoken fear of loosing the woman he loved for good this time.  
  
"I don't know where I am anymore, Duo-kun," Anna muttered brokenly.  
  
"I spent ten years trying to find a way back to you," he said, barely audible. "Now you're saying you don't know where you are? Where we are?"  
  
"I don't know!" Anna yelled without quite meaning to. She shook her head, dark curls flying in her face. "I don't know."  
  
Duo forced a smile. "This has all been kinda dramatic," he said quietly. "I know that. I'll give ya time to rest and think about where you stand, tenshi."  
  
Anna choked back the urge to call after him as he turned and walked out the door. She closed her eyes and sighed. What a mess.  
  
  
  
"He's gone!" Meg called as she came scurrying out of the elevator.  
  
"Who's gone?" Quatre asked from his place by the window.  
  
"Ryuujin! He's gone!"  
  
The door leading to the rooms opened and Duo stepped out, closing it quietly behind him. His violet eyes turned serious. "Where'd Heero go?"  
  
"He and Chase went downstairs," Cavel offered.  
  
Duo nodded his thanks. "I'll tell them about Ryuujin then. I needed to see him anyway."  
  
Meg watched him disappear into to the elevator. She would have sweatdropped if she had been in a world that permitted it. "How can he be so damn calm about that? A man with wounds like Ryuujin had doesn't just get up and walk off! We had him VERY sedated!"  
  
Quatre sighed. "Ryuujin isn't your average man. If he had a reason, he would get up and walk off. The question now is why he would do such a thing. If he were amongst enemies it would be more plausible, but why here and now?"  
  
Mirek had been rudely awakened when Meg had come screaming around the corner. His eyes narrowed. "What is he capable of?"  
  
Wufei looked at him oddly. "He's not a traitor, if that's what your thinking."  
  
"You would have said that about Trowa too, ne?"  
  
Wufei stood and glared down at the man. "If Anna didn't care about you so much, I'd knock your lights out here and now. You're talking about my teammates. I suggest you get to know them better before insulting them. From what I saw, it was very possible Barton was never the traitor we thought he was."  
  
"Wufei-kun is right, Mirek-san," Quatre added quietly. "If for nothing else, Ryuujin-san cares for Chase too much to turn his back on us all. To turn his back on the Gundam pilots would be to kill Chase then and there. She's as loyal as we all are to one another." He closed his eyes and sighed. "Trowa-kun made the ultimate sacrifice for me, because he was my former team mate."  
  
"You don't believe, after all he did, that he was not a traitor?" Mirek asked harshly.  
  
Quatre looked up, eyes cold. "He would not have helped me if he had been truly against us. Trowa was a survivalist. He knew how strong Ryuujin is, and if he had truly been against us, he would never have helped me."  
  
"And why did Ryuujin attack you? That just gives me more evidence to think he would be the next to turn against us all."  
  
"You're hell bound on thinking someone else will turn against us, aren't you?" Wufei demanded. He started to speak again, but the doors to the elevator opened, revealing the two Yuys and Duo Maxwell.  
  
"What's all this bickering?" Chase demanded. The Gundam pilots recognized the look in her eyes.  
  
Quatre explained to her in his diplomatic way the conversation that had been taking place and her eyes narrowed, turning a cold and bitter glare toward Mirek. "You have no right," she hissed at him. "How dare you accuse two men that I care about of turning against us without any real proof the back that up?"  
  
"Are you blind?!" Mirek demanded.  
  
Chase slapped him so hard that the palm of her hand stung. "No. You are. As Quatre-kun said, Trowa would never have challenged Ryuujin if he had been against us." Her eyes turned to the ground, then she looked back up, tears formed. Angry tears. "He risked and lost his life to save a member of his team. He died bravely. Don't you dare go and insult him." She took a shaky breath. The lack of sleep, the anger of her friend's death, and everything else that had mounted onto her heart came crashing down around her. Mirek just happened to be there to take the brunt of the blow. "As for Ryu, he had a good reason for leaving. I may not know what it is, but until he attacks us, you have no right to tell me he will."  
  
"I'm taking things I've seen in the past from you people and trying to help us all for the future."  
  
Chase took a deep breath, turned, and walked over to the window, still fuming. She turned her back to it and slammed her fist into it. (A/N: Crawford moment!! Don't look at the window. Don't look at the window. Damn. Looked at the window. The only reason you will get this joke is if you read "If I am Gifted" Go read. Ima!!) "If you want to live through the next day, you'll stay away from me until my temper cools," she growled, then left by way of the stairs.  
  
Heero turned his icy gaze at the man. "It's not good for your future to upset my wife," he said simply, then turned to follow her.  
  
  
  
Ryuujin closed his eyes. He reopened them to find someone standing in front of him. He backed away, half surprised he hadn't sensed the man coming. Reflective blue eyes met reflective red. "Drizzik."  
  
Drizzik smiled darkly. "Come with me Ryuujin. I have much use for you."  
  
Ryuujin nodded and followed the mysterious man as they disappeared into nothingness.  
  
  
  
"Elise!"  
  
Chase spun to see Odin Lowe standing down the street. He gave her a small smile and walked towards her. "What's the matter, kiddo?"  
  
"No one knows who's fighting who anymore," Chase whispered. "I feel so lost."  
  
Odin smiled and glanced to the entrance of the hospital. "Ya know, I know of a young man over there that would be very happy to help you find your way."  
  
Chase looked to see Heero standing there with a worried expression on his features. "Domo arigatou," she whispered to Odin. She ran to him and embraced him.  
  
Heero winced slightly.  
  
"Daijoubu?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
Chase's eyes widened as she remembered the injury he had received when she had been abducted by Victor for his games. "Gomen!"  
  
"Feels like longer than a week ago, ne?"  
  
"Whatever happened to that boy?" Chase asked quietly. "Avis. The one that shot you."  
  
Heero paled visibly. "He died. It was an accident."  
  
Chase turned her dark eyes upward. "Heero."  
  
"I killed him."  
  
The smaller assassin wrapped her arms around his neck. "He died protecting Trowa-kun, didn't he?"  
  
Dark blue eyes widened in surprise. "Hai."  
  
Chase smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I love you."  
  
He held her close. "And I love you, Chase-chan," he whispered quietly. He didn't want this to end.  
  
"We really should have Meg or someone take a look at that wound. I doubt you've treated it well this past week, ne?"  
  
"I'd rather stand here a moment more."  
  
"Okay." She had not arguments with that. Not when she was standing with the man she loved. Somehow, in his arms, she knew things would turn out all right.  
  
(A/N: I just wanted to note briefly that according to my VERY hard efforts (you should be on your knees bowing to the all mighty Chase-chan for her slaving over this!) I have figured out the exact time line for this story thus far. It started on a Thursday and has now been two weeks and two days! It is currently Saturday.) 


	47. Adieu, Untill We Meet Again

Chapter Forty-Seven: Adieu, Until We Meet Again  
  
  
  
Anna was standing in front of the window in her room, staring absently out of it. She'd stiffly pulled on a pair of khaki slacks and a black blouse. She was ready to get out of here. She was ready to go home.  
  
"But I can't go home, can I? I don't know where that is." She whispered to herself. She glared up at the sky. "I can't."  
  
There was a knock on her door and she turned as it opened.  
  
"Mirek." She greeted softly.  
  
"Anna." He sighed. "I.I'm glad you're all right." He said, shutting the door. "I need to talk to you."  
  
She nodded slowly. "I guess I was wrong, ne? He wasn't dead this time."  
  
He shook his head. "No. And that's what I need to talk to you about. You love him, Anna. You always have and always will."  
  
She automatically opened her mouth, but no sound was forthcoming. She dropped her eyes to the floor.  
  
He stepped up to her and tilted her chin up so she'd meet his gaze. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't."  
  
Anna stared up at him for a long moment before adverting her eyes. He released her and gently kissed her forehead. "I wanted to say goodbye."  
  
She looked up, startled. "Goodbye?"  
  
"Yes. You have the other pilots, and your husband now. You don't need me anymore."  
  
"But Mirek, I."  
  
He cut her off with a finger on her lips. "Know that I will always care about you and you will always have a safe haven with me. But I won't be the reason you lie awake at night. I couldn't live with that."  
  
Anna blinked away tears and hugged him tightly. "You're one in a million."  
  
He smiled, pulled back and put his hands on her shoulders. "Anna, please, I beg of you, one last favor?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"Listen to me. Ryuujin's gone. I have a feeling in my gut that something isn't right with the whole scenario. Beware of him, Anna. Beware of things that are not what they seem to be." Mirek said.  
  
Anna looked confused. "Gone? Why would he leave?"  
  
"I don't know. It doesn't matter now, but it could later. Promise me you'll be wary."  
  
She nodded slowly. "I promise."  
  
He kissed her forehead again. "Adieu, Anna. Until we meet again."  
  
Mirek turned and was gone. Anna stared after him and frowned. He hadn't said it, but she'd seen it in his eyes. There was something more that was making him leave.  
  
She placed her personal objects in her purse and left the room. The young woman stopped short in the waiting room.  
  
"Good God, who put a hole in the window?" she asked.  
  
Everyone had gathered back there and looked up at her, startled by her prescence.  
  
"Anna-chan." Chase said.  
  
"Never mind. Blood tells all. What happened out here?" she demanded.  
  
"There was an argument. Chase put an end to it by shoving her fist through the glass." Wufei said. "Why are you out of bed?" he added, glaring slightly.  
  
"Because I'm ready to leave." Anna replied. "An argument with who?"  
  
"That 'friend' of yours," Chase bit out. Her temper had been cooled, only to be relit with the mention of the earlier argument. "He had the nerve to start accusing Ryuujin and Trowa."  
  
Anna set her purse down on the floor, crossed her arms, and raised an eyebrow. "Accusing them of what, might I ask?"  
  
"He was accusing Ryu of being the next to turn against us and saying that he still believes that Trowa was a traitor. Even a blind man could see that Trowa would never have helped Quatre if he had truely been against us."  
  
"Trowa was a man of many faces. You both had valid points." Anna said.  
  
"Trowa gave his life up for his teammate," Chase hissed. Her dark eyes narrowed. "Please don't tell me you're taking that man's side, Anna."  
  
"That man is a good friend of mine, Chase. I'm not taking any sides. Yes, Trowa gave up his life for a teammate, and that teammate was Quatre. He wouldn't have done anything else whether he was a traitor or not. I don't believe Trowa was a traitor. I think he did things that could have been left undone, but haven't we all?" Anna replied darkly.  
  
"That man had no right to be saying the things he did," Chase muttered. She had never been skilled at carrying on a decent argument when as angry as she was.  
  
"That man has a name." Anna said pointedly. "Where is Ryuujin?" she asked, knowing full well that nobody knew.  
  
"Where he feels he needs to be," Chase answered in a dark voice. She felt Heero's hands on either shoulder.  
  
"Anna wasn't apart of Mirek's and your conversation earlier. Don't take it out on her." Chase sighed heavily, anger seemingly going with her breath. An exhausted look replaced the rage that had shown in her eyes a few moments before.  
  
Anna glanced at Wufei who shrugged. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "Great."  
  
Meg came into the area, looking surprised to see Anna but said nothing. "I hate to interrupt, but I need to see Anna for a minute." Anna looked at her quizzically. "It's about the patient..." the coroner trailed off.  
  
Chase gave her a questioning look, but left the question unsaid. "I'm going to go see if they sell hot tea anywhere."  
  
Anna and Duo's eyes locked briefly before the young woman looked back at Chase. "I'll catch up with you later." She grabbed her bag and followed Meg down the hall.  
  
Chase nodded and started down the stairs again.  
  
  
  
Anna followed Meg down the hall, towards the room Jack Avis was in.  
  
"What's happened?" she asked.  
  
Meg shrugged. "I'm not sure. His readings came back different this morning. I thought you should have a look."  
  
Anna went into the young man's room and picked up his chart. She scanned down the notes and scribbles, biting her lip as she went. "His brain activity picked up, but his EKG readings are lower." She murmured. She grabbed his wrist and felt for his pulse, and frowned. "Weird."  
  
Meg scratched her shoulder before lowering her voice. "Trowa took a turn for the worse during the night."  
  
Anna shook her head. "How much worse?" she asked.  
  
"I thought he was going to crash on me a couple of times, but he pulled through. He's not doing as well as I had hoped." Meg answered sadly.  
  
Anna glanced at Jack. Surely not.A small smile played on her lips. "He knew. Poor kid."  
  
"Knew what?"  
  
"Somehow, Jack knew. That's why his readings are low."  
  
Meg arched an eyebrow. "You're telling me they're linked psychically?"  
  
Anna laughed gently. "Believe me, it can happen." She frowned. "All though."  
  
"Nani? I mean, what? Darn it." Meg muttered.  
  
"Quatre. Since Trowa's alive, I wonder why he hasn't noticed."  
  
Meg shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe we should move them farther away from each other, if they're affecting each other.'  
  
Anna thought for a moment. "Meg, would you mind if I took over Jack's care?"  
  
Meg shook her head. "No. I can have you put down as he regular physician, if you like. Why?"  
  
"I.." she swayed slightly and grabbed the rail on Jack's bed for support. "I think I'm going to go back to Chicago. We don't know when or where OWN will strike next, so I don't believe it would be detrimental to go back. I can do research on it from there, maybe find out who Victor's superior was. I asked Sparky, but as far as he was told, Victor was the top. But from what Victor said to me, he wasn't." Anna said.  
  
Meg looked at her strangely. "Are you feeling all right? You're looking a little bit ashen, Anna. Maybe you should stay a little longer."  
  
"No, no, I'm fine. It's just nausea, I get it sometimes."  
  
The younger woman didn't appear as if she believed her, but said nothing. "I can arrange transportation for the both of you. When are you planning on leaving?"  
  
"I'd like to go within the next two days. I need to talk to Duo."  
  
Meg nodded. "Yeah. I'm going to stay here with Trowa. I'll meet you back there when he improves."  
  
"Okay. I'm going to go track either Chase or Duo down. Ja ne."  
  
"Bye."  
  
  
  
As fate, time, God, or whatever would have it, it was Duo she ran into first. They stared at each other in the lobby for the longest time, both unsure of how to progress. After a long moment, Duo tentatively stretched out a hand towards her. She could not refuse him.  
  
They walked out of the hospital and into the city, fingers intertwined, silent and keeping their pace fairly slow for Anna's sake. They walked aimlessly, both afraid of what the other might have to say. The two of them reached a park area where they slowed and Duo pulled her around to face him.  
  
He paused only a minute before asking, "Do you love me, tenshi?"  
  
She met his gaze head on. "If loving you was ever the problem, I'd be the happiest woman alive, because loving you was never questioned." She said quietly.  
  
"Then what?" Duo asked, violet eyes serious.  
  
"It's trust, and not so much trust as worry." She dropped her eyes. "I've made mistakes, Duo-chan. Small ones, big ones.it's just.I thought you were dead. Again. I thought I could move on, if I did it quickly." She looked up at him again. "But that somehow never works with you."  
  
Duo smiled slightly. "I have a way of showing up when least expected."  
  
Anna shook her head. "It won't ever be like it was, Duo. I don't know if I could ever not feel guilty."  
  
He grabbed her face between his hands and shook her ever so gently. "Don't you know it doesn't matter? What matters is that we have now, and tomorrow, and the rest of time. The past is all water under the bridge, Anna-chan."  
  
A tear slipped down her face and into his palm. "Atashi.anata."  
  
"I love you too." He said, pulling her into a tight embrace.  
  
Anna pressed her face against the fabric of his shirt and clung to him. "It won't be like it was." She repeated into his shirt.  
  
He pulled back and smiled at her. "It doesn't have to be different, Anna- chan. We can make it new."  
  
"Okay." She said. She was giving in to him, and giving herself over to the fact that one day he would die again, but they still had time. They would always have time.  
  
He brushed his fingertips over her cheeks, her eyelids, and her lips, re- familiarizing himself with her face. Duo leaned in and kissed her, and she responded.  
  
It was at that moment they knew that nothing could keep them apart forever. Nothing could stop what was their destiny.  
  
She leaned back and smiled up at him, content in her very soul. "Will you come with me to Chicago?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
"I have a patient, it seems."  
  
"Honto? My Anna's all grown up and a doctor now, ne?"  
  
"Hai." She said with a grin. He took her hand again and they headed back towards the hospital.  
  
"Who's your patient?" Duo asked.  
  
"A young man with the name of Jack Avis. He was very close to Trowa."  
  
"What happened to him?"  
  
"Heero shot him." Anna said. "He died, actually, but Meg deemed herself God for the week and brought him back with the same stuff that saved you and Heero."  
  
Duo had grimaced when she told him Heero had shot the boy. "Why'd Heero shoot him?"  
  
Anna looked up at her former and yet again husband. "He took the bullet for Trowa."  
  
"Saa." Duo said. "Must be some kid."  
  
"Hai."  
  
Duo stopped her in her walking and pulled something out of his pocket. He opened his hand towards her, and in his palm lay twin gold rings. Their wedding rings. Anna blinked. She hadn't expected that. Where had she last seen those? Victor.she'd snatched them from Victor.  
  
"We should get new ones, ne?" Duo asked quietly.  
  
Chikuso. Now she'd have to explain the annulment.  
  
"And I know about the annulment." Duo said.  
  
Anna could have sweatdropped. "Duo-kun."  
  
"It doesn't matter. You love me, ne?"  
  
"I love you. Very much." Anna agreed.  
  
"Besides, the man you went to never put it through."  
  
Anna paled considerably. That would have been bad, had Victor not attacked four days before. "Honto?"  
  
"Mirek told me all of this. He said that the guy -Crawford, I think it was- told him he never executed the act. Told him it was an intuition." Duo said, staring at the rings.  
  
Anna was mortified. "Duo-kun.when did Mirek tell you this.exactly?"  
  
"Two days ago. We had some pretty lengthy conversations."  
  
"How much did he tell you?" Anna asked warily.  
  
Duo looked at her funny. "Just that you've been good friends and about the annulment. Why?"  
  
She sighed. "Nothing. That's one of the mistakes I mentioned."  
  
He grinned. "Be glad I'm a forgiving kinda guy. But really, we should get new ones, ne?"  
  
Anna nodded slowly. "Hai. We should."  
  
  
  
They made their way back to the hospital, then to the hotel when they found out everyone except Meg had gone back there.  
  
Duo and Anna got a room of their own for that night, and Anna went to find where everyone was. She found Wufei in a lobby area on their floor, practicing katana movements, sans the sword.  
  
"Konnichiwa." Anna murmured, curling up on one of the chairs. She did not expect an answer, as she never had when she watched him practice in the past, and she did not receive one.  
  
He continued as he had been, ignoring her presence for at least ten minutes. He paused, rolled up a magazine, folded it so it would stay, and tossed it to her. She caught it, surprised. He then rolled up a second one, and stood in a challenging position.  
  
"Let's see what you remember. Unless you are still weak from your injury."  
  
Anna quirked an eyebrow. "Cocky as you every were." She stood and took a defensive stance.  
  
"Arrogant as always." He replied.  
  
It was true, both of them were always sure they would win.  
  
They took to sparing, using the same maneuvers that they had ten and more years and a universe before. It felt comforting to them both to be doing something familiar, as if by a mere sparring session alone they could turn back the clock and make things right the first time.  
  
They continued on, neither looking like they would win or loose, when Anna stopped suddenly and went slightly pale.  
  
"Whoa, nausea." She murmured to herself. She stepped back, hit the coffee table, and sat down hard.  
  
Since they were not using pointed objects, Wufei continued his attack, whacking her over the head with the magazine. She glared up at him.  
  
"Congratulations, you have split me in half."  
  
He smirked at her. "You've lost your touch."  
  
"I've lost my equal Librium." She replied, putting an arm around her stomach. She hated taking medication. She hated the side affects.and she wasn't thrilled with the way Wufei was suddenly looking at her, either. "Nani?"  
  
Wufei leaned forward and took her chin in his hand. Anna suddenly got a horrible feeling of déjà vu. Ocean blue orbs reflected into onyx black for a good two minutes.  
  
Wufei started to say something but stopped. A minute later, he said it. "You're pregnant."  
  
Anna lost even more color. "WHAT?!" she exclaimed. She pulled away from him, swatting his hand away. "How dare you! You.you."  
  
"Anna."  
  
"You."  
  
"You are, aren't you?"  
  
She gaped at him. "Of course not. How in the world would I be pregnant?"  
  
He stared at her.  
  
"Question recanted."  
  
"Thank you." He said dryly.  
  
Anna glared up at him. "What makes you think that I would be?"  
  
"Because you're acting the exact same way you did last time."  
  
"It's impossible, Wufei."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes really, thank you very much." She snapped.  
  
He shrugged. "I'm just saying. You're acting very much as you did the last time."  
  
"It's the medication, I assure you."  
  
They were silent for several minutes.  
  
Anna sighed. "Duo and I are going back to Chicago tomorrow, with a patient of mine. Do you want to come?"  
  
"A patient?"  
  
"Yeah. Jack Avis, believe it or not."  
  
Wufei frowned. "But Heero killed him."  
  
"Meg brought him back."  
  
"The same way."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"I'll go. Why are you going there?"  
  
"I want to go home, Fei-chan." She said quietly. "A lot has happened, and far to fast for my poor befuddled mind to comprehend. Besides, we need to do some research on how deeply rooted OWN is in this world, and in the A.C. world."  
  
"And who the next in line of power is." Wufei agreed.  
  
Anna nodded. "We'll leave tomorrow. Dorothy's already gone back to New York, to sort out the mess of the Lucky Vincent Corporation. Poor Quatre; he's going to have a heck of a time with it."  
  
"Should he come back with us?" Wufei asked.  
  
Anna nodded again. "Would you talk to him about it? I need to find Chase before tonight."  
  
"Sure." Wufei said.  
  
Anna stood. "I'll see you later."  
  
Wufei nodded and watched the young woman go.  
  
Inside the elevator, and sagged against the railing and absently placed an arm over her stomach. It was impossible. There were certain things that had to happen for a woman to be pregnant, and none of those had occurred. Anna bit her lip. But Wufei hadn't been wrong the last time.  
  
She soon forgot about the exchange as she stepped back onto the sidewalks of Tokyo. If she remembered correctly.  
  
Ah, yes. The tea shop Chase frequented most often. There were only four in all of Tokyo, and Chase had her favorite. Anna had found it -no thanks to Chase- after careful tracking of the girl. She liked to disappear so much, and Anna liked to track her down. Sure enough, Anna saw her through the window, sipping tea, alone.  
  
Anna slipped inside, bought a cup of tea and a pretzel and slid into the seat across from Chase. Chase looked up from her manga, surprised.  
  
"Anna-chan." She said.  
  
"Chase-chan." Anna replied. "I wanted to apologize for earlier. I know you still care about him."  
  
Chase regarded her friend evenly. "It's okay. I just don't appreciate people accusing my friends of being traitors."  
  
Anna took a sip of her tea and nodded. "I can relate."  
  
Chase grinned. "I suppose." She tilted her head. "How good of friends are you and Mirek, anyway? You've never mentioned him."  
  
Anna took a slower sip out of her mug. "We're.good.friends. I trust him very much."  
  
"Honto?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
Chase nodded. "When did you meet the man?"  
  
Anna noticed her lack to use Mirek's name, but didn't comment. "Last year, I think. On one of our manga convention romps. I think we did at least six of them that summer."  
  
Chase grinned. "It was fun times."  
  
Anna nodded and nibbled on her pretzel. "I'm going back to Chicago for a bit. Do some research on OWN and their higher operatives." She said casually.  
  
Chase frowned. "Why? You can do that here."  
  
"Hai, but I can do it at home as well. Besides, I have more contacts there. Maybe I'll snitch around and dig up where Ryu shoved off to in order to pout, or whatever he's doing." Anna said.  
  
Chase's frown deepened. "Do you think he's a traitor, Anna?" there was a danger underlying in her tone.  
  
Anna finished her tea and pretzel and took a deep breath. "I think he's a dangerous man, Chase. I think that anything is possible, and it's best to keep an open mind. I won't call him a traitor without evidence, but I won't wait until he stabs me in the back to have solid proof. We'll just wait and see."  
  
"I hate it when you're logical."  
  
"One of us has to be."  
  
Chase mumbled something that Anna didn't bother to translate. The taller girl dropped her tone and switched from Japanese to English.  
  
"You do know we'll have to build gundams. At least two, if we want to survive this war." She said.  
  
Chase nodded. "I just don't know where we're going to get gundanium."  
  
Anna leaned back and stretched a bit. "I guess we'll have to look. If any of Trowa's documents survived the fire, or are stashed away here in Tokyo, and we could find them, he might have listed gundanium mines."  
  
Chase pointed her teaspoon at her. "Nothing survived that fire, and to find files in the middle of this city with no trace of where to begin would be madness. Zechs would be a better candidate for gundanium mines."  
  
Anna thought about Jack, and whether or not he'd know, or remember when he woke up. She nodded absently. "You should probably contact him. The sooner we get them going the better."  
  
Chase agreed. "But, which ones should be rebuilt?"  
  
"The Zero, obviously."  
  
"We have to have more than one, remember?"  
  
"Then we should rebuild all of them, starting with Zero and going up by number." Anna said. "All of them have different capabilities that we need. Unless we design a new one altogether."  
  
"Take too long. But, you know we're at the end of the list, Anna-chan. Five gundams would be built before ours. There either won't be time or gundanium enough. I want to fight these idiots."  
  
Anna gazed at her, a sad note in her blue eyes. "Four."  
  
Chase blinked. "What?"  
  
"Four. There would only be four gundams to be built before ours."  
  
Chase's shoulders slumped at the reminder that they were one less than they used to be. "Hai."  
  
"And Quatre may not want to fight this time. He might be better off commanding." Anna shrugged. "We'll have to have a conference."  
  
Chase sighed. "We always thought it could kill us."  
  
"We used to think it could, we forgot it could, and now we know it can." Anna agreed. She looked out the window, to meet a Prussian blue gaze, grim expression on Heero's face. Anna blinked and pointed a thumb in his direction, alerting Chase to his presence. "I think he wants in." Anna remarked.  
  
Chase shot her a look and glanced at her husband. He motioned for them to come outside. They stood, paid the bill, and met Heero on the sidewalk.  
  
"What happened?" Chase asked.  
  
"There was an attempt on Relena's life earlier this morning." He said, old monotone back in place.  
  
Both girls eye's widened. "Attempt? As in they failed?" Chase asked.  
  
"Yes." Heero said. "But we need to go back."  
  
Chase and Anna exchanged glances and held a quick silent conversation. They nodded, and Chase looked back to Heero.  
  
"Anna's going back to Chicago,"  
  
"Duo and Wufei are coming with me, and maybe Quatre,"  
  
"So you and I will have to take care of it." Chase finished.  
  
Heero blinked. "Fine."  
  
"All though, Quatre might want to go with you. It might get his mind off other things." Anna said.  
  
"Hai. We'll ask." Chase said.  
  
The three went back to the hotel, where all the former gundam pilots and Sparky gathered. After a short discussion, it was decided that Chase, Heero, and Quatre would return to 210 A.C., while Anna, Duo, Wufei, and Sparky would return to Chicago and attempt research on OWN and it's plans. And, to find out where Ryuujin had disappeared too.  
  
They packed and went their separate ways. 


	48. Said I Loved You

Chapter Forty-Eight: Said I Loved You.  
  
  
  
(Author's notes: Oh, wow..look.it's Anna.the original author. ^_~ This chapter, like Chase's chapter 'Foolish Games' is a semi-song fic chapter, but for Anna/Duo. With a small twist. Gotta put a plot twist in here. Enjoy.)   
  
Wufei, Sparky, Anna, and Duo arrived in Chicago twelve hours later, tired but in one piece. Jack Avis was being transferred the next day, by a medical plane.  
  
They rented three cars, one for each of the adults, since Duo and Wufei didn't have cars in that time, and Anna's had been left somewhere. Not that she minded. She took a black mustang convertible, Duo took a black Mercedes (leftover funds from missions came in handy), and Wufei took a tan Acura.  
  
It was five in the morning as they pulled away from the airport. Anna was in the lead, Duo behind her, and Wufei had Sparky with him in the back. It was still fairly dark, as the sun had not yet chosen to rise on their side of the earth.  
  
Anna rubbed her right temple, resting her left hand on the steering wheel. She stared more at the gold band on her left ring finger than the road in front of her, making the straightness of the road a blessing. She and Duo had agreed to wear the old ones before they got new ones. She loved him, she was sure of that; and she knew that he loved her. Some things you couldn't mask, even in the best of circumstances.  
  
  
  
/You are the candle, love's the flame. A fire that burns through the wind and rain./  
  
  
  
Duo watched the car in front of him intently, and he watched Anna's movements. He didn't want her swerving off the road in a mixture of exhaustion and pain medication. He hadn't told her how much it hurt when he found out she'd tried to annul the marriage, even if he understood.  
  
They had a lot of trust to build up in each other again. He would have to be so much more careful in the days and fights ahead. He knew she loved him, because she had waited. She had somehow known he would come for her when she needed him most. They would always love each other. He only hoped it would always be enough.  
  
  
  
/Shine your light on this heart of mine till the end of time./  
  
  
  
Always. Always was her promise to him. It was the promise she gave to the people she cared most about. Always was a long time, and Anna knew it. Duo smiled. That's why she'd said always after 'I do.'  
  
He knew he wanted her the moment he saw her bound out of her gundam, grin plastered on her face. She had loved the rush of battle as much as he had, and she excelled at it. They went well together from the beginning, which is why she had become his mascot, his angel, so quickly. They kept each other minimally sane. She stabilized him, and he liberated her.  
  
  
  
/You came to me, just like the dawn through the night; just shinin' like the sun./  
  
  
  
His angel. How quickly that had happened. They had just been fighting together, side by side, and she had launched her gundam into an attack meant for the Deathscythe. The mobile suit had been blown into a million pieces from the Star's attack and space had been quiet.  
  
Anna smiled softly. He'd appeared on her screen, looking as shocked as she had felt. What had she done, and why? 'Angel.' his words echoed still. She loved him. She always would.  
  
  
  
/You are the one, You are the one./  
  
  
  
Anna picked up her cell phone, cutting off the "Clowns" jingle. "Hello?" she asked.  
  
"Anna? It's Meg."  
  
"Hey, Meg. What's up?"  
  
The woman on the other end of the phone sighed. "I have some.news."  
  
Anna tilted her head. "News? Is it Trowa?"  
  
"No, it's you, Anna."  
  
Anna frowned. "What about me?"  
  
"I thought it was a glitch in the tests we ran, but I was wrong." Meg was reluctant to share this. It wasn't going to be pretty.  
  
"Meg, quit beating around the bush."  
  
"You're pregnant."  
  
Pause.  
  
"WHAT?!" The black convertible swerved out of control and Anna stepped hard on the break. The tires squealed, leaving marks on the road until she came to an abrupt halt.  
  
Duo threw on the breaks behind her. "Anna, what the hell?!" he exclaimed.  
  
Anna leaned against the steering wheel. "That's not very damn funny, Meg."  
  
"I'm not joking. Are you okay?"  
  
"No! What.I.I can't be." Anna groaned. A baby. Just great.  
  
"Whose is it?" Meg asked, studying her fingernails.  
  
Anna sighed. "Mirek is the father."  
  
"The only possibility?"  
  
"Meg! What kind of woman do you think I am?!"  
  
"Sorry. Well, then, there's only two options." Meg said.  
  
Duo got out of the car.  
  
"Two?"  
  
"It could be Duo's."  
  
Anna's eyes shot to the man approaching the car from behind. "Meg that's impossible.we haven't.not in ten years."  
  
"Dr. J fixed that."  
  
Anna's eye's widened. "What?! Damn the man.even dead he won't leave me be." she groaned.  
  
"He made a program that would activate when you showed up in the A.C. universe again. You would resume your pregnancy as it was. If you were all ready pregnant, it would speed up the current pregnancy to the point where you were. So it could be."  
  
Anna stared wide eyed at the road ahead. Her worst nightmare. She was going to have a baby, and she didn't know who it belonged to. "I have to go. I'm going to kill him." She murmured.  
  
"He's dead, Anna." Meg reminded her.  
  
"You think I care?" came the annoyed reply.  
  
"I'm sorry, Anna."  
  
The young woman sighed. "Me too." She hung up the phone.  
  
Duo placed his hands on the car door and looked down at her. Anna looked up at him.  
  
"What was that about? You sacred me to death." Duo said, looking at her intently.  
  
Anna stared at him. His son. What was she going to do if it wasn't.but that would mean it was her son.Jack. "I."  
  
  
  
/Said I loved you but I lied Cause this is more than love I feel inside Said I loved you but I was wrong Cause love could never feel this strong./   
  
  
  
He framed her face with a hand. "What's the matter, tenshi? You want me to drive?"  
  
Anna smiled at him. "Iie, Duo-chan. I'm all right. I just wasn't paying attention to the road."  
  
Wufei's car pulled up next to him. "You two all right?" the Chinese man called.  
  
Anna looked at him and their eyes met. She had to look away. Wufei had been right. He knew. He always knew.  
  
Duo waved at them. "It's okay."  
  
Anna smiled up at Duo and pushed him pack at his car. "Let's get going." She mumbled.  
  
"You sure?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
They stared off again. As they drove away, Anna began to cry, silent tears streaking down her face. She had told him she'd made mistakes. Just how big of a mistake had she made? She couldn't fall in love with him all over again just to have this happen.  
  
The worst thing was, she couldn't even explain the program to him. He'd died before he ever knew that he was going to have a son the first time. Only Wufei had known..as only Wufei knew now.  
  
She slammed an angry fist into the steering wheel.  
  
  
  
/ With all my soul I've tried in vain  
  
How can mere words my heart explain  
  
This taste of heaven so deep so true  
  
I've found in you/  
  
  
  
Duo got back in his car and pulled out behind her. Something was wrong, he could feel it. He could always tell when her smiles were fake, he could always tell when she was hiding something. Whether it be fear, pain, or regret, she always tried to cover it up with a smile. He ran his fingers over the cross around his neck. Nothing would separate them again. Nothing.  
  
He had fought long and hard to find a way back to her. He and Heero both and fought to get back to the women they loved. And whatever happened, it wouldn't separate them again. They had their whole lives together now.  
  
  
  
/ So many reasons in so many ways  
  
My life has just begun  
  
Need you forever, I need you to stay  
  
You are the one, you are the one/   
  
Anna wiped the last of her tears away as the three cars pulled into the parking lot of her townhouse. There wasn't time for that now. They had research to do, and a half-dragon to find. But a baby. Anna got out of the car and straightened her blouse. She could do this. She could do this because she loved him, and because he loved her.   
  
Shingami and his Angel.   
  
  
  
/ Said I loved you but I lied  
  
'Cause this is more than love I feel inside  
  
Said I loved you but I was wrong  
  
'Cause love could never ever feel so strong  
  
Said I loved you but I lied / 


	49. Aku

Chapter Forty-nine: Aku  
  
  
  
A/N: Hey ya'll! This is Chase-chan! Why Anna left me to do the part where Relena comes in, heaven only knows. *insane laughing* Maybe I'll finally be rid of her. I mean. umm. yeah.   
  
Chase pulled her jacket around her bare shoulders. Her dark emerald eyes were watching every movement there was. The light was dimming, and she had yet to find Relena Peacecraft Dorlian.  
  
They had come back to find she had gone into hiding, and no one knew where. Heero had taken to his laptop, combing through every file he could until he had found somewhat of a lead. Chase had taken to the Tama district of Tokyo and was now looking in the most and least likely places for the former queen of the world.  
  
The petite former pilot pulled a cell phone out of her jacket pocket and ran her fingers over the numbers. "Quatre? Yeah. Tell Heero that I'm in the Tama district. Hai. Just tell him. I think he's found a good lead here. Ja."  
  
She flipped the phone closed and hopped up the steps to an old building. It was abandoned, but her instincts told her to look. She never ignored her feelings. Not when her life depended on it.  
  
A scream was heard from where Chase detected to be a level up. She took off in a sprint and slammed into the door that led to the stairwell. Her boots hit lightly as she skipped every other step and raced up the way. She slammed into the door on the second floor, remember that the floor was probably thin and weak, simply because it was so easy to hear through it. That and the building looked like it could have been around two centuries or more.  
  
Chase aimed her castor at the man holding Relena Dorlian and glared. "Release her. Ima," she growled out in harsh Japanese.  
  
The man looked back, surprise written on his face. "No one was supposed to know of this location."  
  
"Apparently you did."  
  
The man's dark eyes narrowed. "I'll kill you if you stay here, kid. Leave."  
  
Chase twitched slightly. "Kodomo?"  
  
"Hai."  
  
The gunshot was abrupt, but dead on. It sent the man sprawling and his young captive screaming. Relena continued to screech as the blood spilt onto her white business suit and then turned her frightened blue eyes on the younger pilot. "You."  
  
Chase smirked. "Yeah, you're gonna have to stop fawning over my husband now. Gomen," she deadpanned.  
  
Relena stood and stared for a moment, then stumbled forward, half tripping at the dead man at her feet. "You didn't have to kill him, Chase-san," she managed.  
  
"Sure I did," Chase responded with a feral grin spreading over her face. "He called me a child."  
  
Relena paled, mentally telling herself NEVER to insult the young woman before her. Her light blue eyes ran over Chase, taking in the sight of the girl that she thought she would never see again. She looked younger than she would have been if she had not "gone home" as Quatre had explained it, though he had given her no details on what that meant. Somehow she had always questioned where those two were from. Otherwise, she looked the same. Her light brown hair hung below her ears, but not quite to her shoulders, her dark, emerald coloured eyes looked as if they would stair strait into your soul and convict you of your many sins that she would make you pay for, and her ever-present jeans and black tank top were covering her small form. Black, fingerless gloves covered her small hands, and black boots that reached to her knees covered her feet. She looked only slightly older.  
  
"Naze?" Relena whispered.  
  
Chase continued to grin the unnerving grin. "Heero. So don't think you've still got a chance with him." She walked up next to the blond, standing slightly shorter than her, and not looking at her, but still facing ahead. "And you'll only be useful for a while. So I wouldn't advise doing anything to upset me."  
  
The pacifist paled considerably. "Chase-san?"  
  
Oh how easy it was to torture the dumb blond! "Heero's waiting for us. Where's Zechs?"  
  
The blond woman took a shaky breath. "Milliardo is waiting for me at the estate."  
  
"Why did he let you come alone?"  
  
"I wasn't alone. Marcus was with me." she whispered, looking at the dead man.  
  
"Until he turned on you for heaven knows how much money they were dealing to him." The pilot shrugged. "Money does nothing for you in hell."  
  
"You seem like your sarcastic self," Relena said with an annoyed look plastered on her face.  
  
Chase smiled again. She was in a mood. She hated the woman before her. She REALLY hated the woman before her. "Do you think I'm being sarcastic when I said you'll only be useful for a while? I don't make idle threats to people like you, Dorlian. You've struck me wrong since the moment I met you. I wouldn't have been as kind as Heero was to you, whether or not I knew how useful you would be. I would have killed you when I first got you alone."  
  
Relena was speechless.  
  
"But I'm not Heero, and he was always a better judge than me."  
  
"Hai."  
  
"Get moving," the smaller woman said as she started down the stairs. "Heero will be waiting."  
  
"Doko?"  
  
Chase didn't answer her as she pulled her cell phone from her pocket. "Quatre? The Peacecraft Estate. Yeah, I've got her. No, not yet. Ja."  
  
"'No not yet' what, Chase-san?"  
  
"He asked if I'd killed you," the pilot answered with a shrug and exited the building, heading for the nearest alley. "Come here."  
  
Relena obeyed with a slightly frightened look on her face. Chase Yuy had never been a stable person, but never had killed on whims like back in the building.  
  
"He was going to kill you," Chase answered, as if reading the elder woman's thoughts.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"Instinct. You're needed." That said, she pulled her laptop from her bag and pressed a button. In a flash of white light, they were gone.   
  
  
  
It was dark. Completely dark. He hadn't known it could get this dark. Were there no windows? Nothing? He had lost track of time since he had gotten there. There was nothing but darkness.  
  
Then, in a flash of light that looked quite a bit like Chase and Anna's world hopping device, Drizzik stood before him. Ryuujin blinked up at the slightly taller man. Only slightly. And he was thinner looking without his cape and armor. He stood before the young man without flashy looking attire that he had seen him in before. "What is all this?" the blue haired man managed.  
  
Drizzik allowed a slight smile to cross his features as he eyed the smaller man carefully. "Do you want to know about your powers, Ryuujin?"  
  
Ryuujin eyed him carefully. "And what do you know of them."  
  
"You must promise me one thing, Ryuujin. Stay silent until I finish. Ask your questions later."  
  
"Fine."  
  
Drizzik began speaking of things that Ryuujin had never heard of. Something that seemed like a different world. The darkness around them faded and an image surrounded them, but it seemed like a dream. Large, castle like buildings stood all around them and people mulled around them, paying them no mind.  
  
"What is this?" Ryuujin managed.  
  
"This is where you were born. Or at least a mental image of it." Drizzik stopped, almost as if he were trying to think of a way the younger man could comprehend it. "It's like the mental images I sent you at your girl's party."  
  
Ryuujin's eyes narrowed at the mention of Chase, but said nothing.  
  
"This, as I said, was where you were born. It is a different world. Your little girl is not the only one capable of world hopping. Dragons were the first to do so. Like yourself. Like me."  
  
Ryuujin nearly facefaulted. "Dragons?!"  
  
Drizzik nodded, completely unfazed by the younger man's reaction. "When you were young, they sent you to Earth. You are half human and half dragon, a difficulty in their sight. The wanted to be rid of you and sent you to earth."  
  
The scene around them faded to people who Ryuujin recognized as his adopted parents. They were holding a blue haired infant. He reached a hand out to them, reaching through them instead of making contact.  
  
"You were raised as a human, just as your mother was."  
  
"Where are my real parents now?"  
  
Drizzik's expressions did not change, but remained impassive. "Your mother was killed when the Gundam pilot called 04 attacked and destroyed a colony. Your father is now on the world you were born on."  
  
The colony. Ryuujin glared into the nothingness. "So what comes with being half dragon?"  
  
"Power, my friend," Drizzik responded, seemingly pleased with the younger man's question. "Power beyond any mere human's dreams." A smirk crossed his face. "You've released it before. You just don't know how to control it. I can help you control it, Ryuujin. Would you want that?"  
  
Ryuujin thought back to the battle he was sure that Drizzik was speaking of. "You know how to control it?" he whispered.  
  
"If you come with me, I'll show you. Give your allegiance to the Lady."  
  
"The Lady?"  
  
"The Commander of OWN. The Lady Trinity Barton."  
  
Ryuujin scowled at the name "Barton," but let it go as quickly as he had grasped onto it. "Then you'll show me how to control my powers?"  
  
"I can help you control all of them. I will show you how to use your Dragon Blade to its fullest potential."  
  
Ryuujin nodded. "I'll do it," he responded.  
  
Drizzik smiled darkly. "Then why don't you come with me, Ryuujin? The Lady Trinity will want to meet you."   
  
  
  
Relena's eyes were wide with fear as the light faded around her and the brunet woman beside her. Chase looked at her from the corner of her eye. "You're alive. Chill," she deadpanned.  
  
Relena stared down at her in horror. "What was that?!"  
  
"A transportation devise. Took us from Tokyo to here."  
  
The blond was still shaking when she saw her brother enter the room. She ran forward and embraced him. "Milliardo! It was awful! I thought she was going to kill me!"  
  
"I resisted the temptation," Chase muttered. Her eyes lit up when Heero walked in behind Zechs. "I would guess that Quatre got you my message, ne?"  
  
"He's in the other room checking on how his stock is doing," Heero said with a half smirk. "I'm glad to see you both safe."  
  
"You married a demon," Relena announced.  
  
Chase choked back a laugh. "Demon. no. Not quite."  
  
"Who's been trying to kill my sister?" Zechs demanded.  
  
Chase stopped smirking, soldier's mask falling into place. "Her own body guard, it would appear, but we need to find out who was paying him." She closed her eyes in thought. "OWN."  
  
"OWN is gone!" Relena announced. "Even I know that! Someone killed Victor."  
  
"That someone was Anna, and I know that. I also know that Victor wasn't the top ranked man in OWN. He had his betters. His betters will want us dead and want this world. They can attack from present and past, and they will use any resources they have. I guarantee it. The way to take over the present is to take out the political leaders that will stand against them. You may not stand with much of a backbone, Relena, but you're standing with a lot of support to make up for your spinelessness. That is all the reason to kill you.  
  
"I, personally, have no use for you, but the public doesn't see it that way. That makes it my job to help you escape those trying to kill you. I will not have the blood splattered reach the faces of the innocents to mar their faces." The green-eyed woman glared. "Stay here."  
  
"But they'll go after those working for me!"  
  
"Maybe they will, but we'll get them as much protection as we can. Quatre can work out quite a bit, and you'll do know good to those below you in rank if you are lying in the street with your blood spread around you."  
  
"What a lovely picture, Chase-san." the elder woman said, face paling.  
  
"I know. Isn't it?" Sarcasm. Long live sarcasm. "Stay here. I won't go out of my way to save you again. You're not worth my valuable time. Time is not something we have to waste."  
  
Heero nodded. "Chase is right, though her wording was a little extreme."  
  
"Live with it."  
  
  
  
  
  
Chase found herself floating in a void of darkness. "Yume?" she questioned, though she knew it was. The Zero System still affected her mind, as it always had. She had just ignored those effects for the past ten years. Now was the time to start paying more attention.  
  
Mirrors floated from the darkness, forms of her friends showing in them. Wasn't this getting a tad repetitive? They had dealt with that. Victor was dead, and he was the one focusing the games on them. The fragile situations that she had assumed the dream was portraying was dealt with, and now it was a simple war against whoever was heading OWN.  
  
One mirror caught her attention. A mirror of a young man strapped up by his wrists by ribbon type strings that held him into place. His eyes were closed, as if dead, but she saw the steady rise and fall of his chest, amazingly precise in her dream. There was one problem with this scene: the man hanging in the image was dead. "Trowa-kun."  
  
Glass shattered all around her, as the mirrors broke apart. She let out a scream as she sank back down into the darkness, then feeling herself freefall to the ground below, landing hard.  
  
"Nanda.?"  
  
A woman stepped forward, face hidden in the shadows of her hair, so that Chase could not make her features out. She noticed to men standing behind her. One with long violet hair, pulled back into a loose ponytail. His eyes were a piercing crimson colour. The next was taller. Ryuujin! They were both dressed in black armor, dark expressions on their faces.  
  
Chase felt a tear slip down her cheek. "Iie. IIE!"   
  
  
  
Chase Yuy sat strait up in the bed she was currently sharing with her husband. Things were about to start moving again, and they needed to make sure that they moved with them.  
  
A scream was heard down the hall, stopping Heero from questioning his wife's sudden jump. "Relena," they said at once, and rushed down the hallway.   
  
  
  
A/N: Hey ya'll! This is Chase-chan! Could you tell I've been reading FAR too much CLAMP? Shattering glass. Lol. Oh well. I've been reading X/1999 and Tokyo Babylon. Subaru!! *Drool* Oh well, it has been effecting my new manga DESTINY too. ^^ Long live CLAMP! 


	50. Zoku

**Author's Notes: *Gasp* Egads, she makes an update! Sorry about that, ya'll….laziness, laziness on my part. *bows* Gomen ne!! Enjoy. ** **Chapter Fifty: Zoku**

Anna sat by Jack Avis' bedside, his chart in her lap under the book she was reading. His condition had improved dramatically since he arrived in Chicago that morning, and she hoped that he might wake up soon. 

          She knew that Duo was worried about her, and she knew that Wufei knew something was wrong. Poor Sparky just wanted to sleep, which was what he was doing at the apartment at the moment. 

          She stared at Jack's pale face and smiled sadly. He was a beautiful young man, and from what she had seen he was extremely intelligent not to mention loyal. 

          "Doctor?" a young nurse stuck her head through the door. 

          Anna looked up. "Yes?" 

          "There's a call for you at the desk." 

          "Thank you." 

          Anna stood and went down the hall to the floor desk, and hit the hold button. "Yes?" 

          There was a pause. "Are you Ms. Maxwell?" 

          Anna frowned. "I am. Who is this?" 

          "I just wanted to congratulate you. You'll be hearing more from us shortly." There was a click, then silence. 

          Anna blinked and hung up. That was weird… She'd have to tell Duo about it later. She shook her head and went back to Jack's room. 

          As soon as she opened the door, she knew something was different. It was instinct, coming back to scream at her. She glanced around before looking at Jack himself. 

          His hair, she realized, was different. Not only that, his face was tilted to the right, as if he was looking at the window. She cautiously moved towards him, sitting back in her seat. 

          "Jack?" she asked softly. 

          The boy stirred and he inhaled deeply. His eyelids fluttered several times, he was still; and he opened his eyes. The blue-grey orbs were wide and confused as he looked around, trying to get his bearings. His gaze finally fell on Anna. He recognized her, but didn't appear to feel threatened. 

          "Wha…" he tried, finding his voice scratchy and his throat unbelievably sore. 

          Anna brought over a cup with water and a straw. She waited until he was finished and put the cup down. "Welcome back." She said. 

          "Where am I?" he rasped. 

          "You are in Rush Presbyterian Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. You are also in the year 2012." Anna told him. "What do you remember?" 

          He thought for a moment. "My name is Jack Avis, I'm nineteen years old, and I work for Trowa Barton." He frowned. "Or at least I did. He took me to Tokyo to get me away from OWN. How did I wind up here? Where is Trowa?" 

          Anna leaned back in her chair. "There's a lot you need to be caught up on, Jack. Do you remember what happened to you in Tokyo?" 

          He blinked. "I was shot. Yes, that's right. I was shot by Heero Yuy. Oh, no, Yuy didn't kill Trowa did he?" Jack asked, heart rate rising on the monitor. 

          Anna patted his arm. "No, darling, Heero didn't kill Trowa. Do you remember anything else about Tokyo?" 

          Jack shook his head. "I remember falling, and Trowa catching me…after that nothing." 

          "All right. I'll be frank with you, because I think you deserve that much. I'll make it short, because you still need to rest. You died, darling." She said, making it smooth and easy, as if it happened every day. 

          He blinked again, digesting this information. "Oh. And they revived me or something?" 

          Anna nodded. "Or something." 

          "Is there permanent damage?" he asked, not sure where she was going with this. 

          "Not that I can foresee. I'll give you a little background before I hit the point home. If you don't remember me, I'm Anna Maxwell. You saw me when Trowa thought I was a traitor and I thought he was a traitor and all that mess. Neither of us were, I've come to find out." 

          Jack smiled. 

          "At any rate, yes, Heero Yuy shot and killed you. Several days later I fought with Victor and killed him. I was injured in the process and when I came too I found out that a friend of mine had experimented with a drug. A life-reviving drug. She revived you."

          "They couldn't bring me back with shock, huh?" 

          "Not at that point. You'd been dead three days." 

          Jack paled as the point set in. "What?" he croaked. 

          "Three days." Anna repeated. "I'm telling you this because a lot happened during that time period that you'll later need to know about. You would have found out anyway, but I wanted to get it in so you would have time to chew on it. I'm sorry I overwhelmed you." Anna apologized. 

          Jack gratefully accepted the water she handed him. He gave it back and stared wide-eyed at her. "Wow." He muttered. "Wow." 

          She rubbed his arm. "You'll be fine. You may get a little more winded than before, but time should cure that. You're a lucky man, Jack." 

          Jack decided the best way to handle that information was like a soldier, to take it as fact and swallow it. He nodded and met her gaze. "So we're on the same side?" he asked. 

          "Yes, we are. And I'm glad of it." Anna replied. 

          "Me too. Where's Trowa?" he asked, trying to stifle a yawn. 

          Anna paused as his eyes grew droopy. "You sleep. We'll talk later, okay? I'm going to take care of you." 

          He nodded, and drifted off. 

          Anna rubbed the cross at her neck and sent silent thanks heavenwards for small miracles. And big ones.  

          "You didn't tell him." Wufei said quietly from the doorway. 

          Anna turned, and shook her head slowly. "I didn't know what to tell him." 

          "Trowa's dead Anna, tell him the truth." 

          "He wasn't ready to hear it. I'm afraid it would destroy him. You saw…" 

          "But you will tell him." 

          "I have to. I don't have a choice." Anna said. "It's just that…not everything isn't as it seems, you know?" 

          Wufei tilted his head and began to ask a question, but Duo came in. 

          "Hey, you two. I've got bad news and good news, which would ya like?" the American asked. 

          Anna set her book down on Jack's bed. "Bad." 

          "There's been another attack on Relena. Chase and Heero didn't reach her in time." 

          "I hope you're not going to say the good news is that she's dead." Wufei said dryly. Anna smacked him with her fan. 

          Duo grinned. "No, she isn't dead, much to Chase's irritation. I think our Queen of the World is wondering if Chase is her ally, what do her enemies want to do to her?" 

          "Is she all right?" 

          "No idea, Chase was kind of ticked when I talked to her. Didn't give me any details." Duo said. 

          "What's the good news?" Wufei asked.

          "Quatre called. He thinks he got a spot on Ryuujin in Tokyo. He wasn't totally sure it was him, but how many Caucasian boys with blue hair can you find over there?" 

          "Depends. Are we at an anime convention?" Anna asked. 

          Duo grinned. "Very funny. Do you think we should go after him?" 

          "No." Wufei said. "We should wait and see what he's up too." 

          "What makes you think he's up to something? I have to agree with Chase's point on this one. He's probably just hanging low because of Trowa." Duo said. 

          "Whom he killed, if you weren't up to date. Whether Trowa was as a big a traitor as we thought or not, Ryuujin still murdered him, and Trowa was still one of us." Wufei said, eyes narrowing. 

          "I know that! It hurt me as much as you, we were all family. Ryuujin killed Trowa, duh. Nobody knows the reason behind it. Maybe he knew something we didn't." 

          "Or maybe he was just protecting Quatre, proving that he wasn't…" 

          Anna cut them off. "That's enough, both of you. There's a patient in here, don't forget." She snapped. "Trowa's death has no bearing on our next move. There is obviously a bigger enemy out there that we now have to face. We should leave the dead dead, and Ryuujin to his own doings." She stood and moved past them. "I'm going home, you guys. I'll see you later." 

          Duo and Wufei stood shoulder to shoulder as she disappeared. 

          "She knows something." The Chinese man said. 

          "I know." Duo replied quietly. 

          They sighed simultaneously. 

          Anna decided not to go straight home, but when she did she walked, so she wasn't surprised when she saw Duo's car in the parking lot. She felt like she was living on borrowed time. What had been confusing before was picture perfect now, but she could see the fuse on the end of her life. There was the war on the horizon, Ryuujin's disappearance, and Trowa's fragile life hanging in the balance, the baby…

          She took a deep breath and stuck her mailbox key in the lock. She opened the little door and pulled out a single card from the box. Anna frowned. It was postmarked from the year A.C. 210. Unless Chase had sent her a postcard…

          She ripped open the envelope. It wasn't a card, it was an invitation. 

_Addressed to:_

_Duo and Anna Maxwell_

_We Would Be Honored if You Would Accept_

_This Invitation to the Inaugural Ball_

_At Peacemillion Hall _

_This Saturday_

_8:OO p.m._

_Her Majesty Looks Forward to Your Company_

          "What in the world? Her majesty?" She mumbled. Anna glanced around out of habit and put the invitation back in the envelope. 

          She made her way up to the townhouse, opening the all ready unlocked door. She saw Duo's jacket, so she wasn't concerned. 

          "I'm home!" she called, dropping her jacket beside his. She placed her purse on the floor and made her way upstairs. She went to her bedroom doorway. "You won't believe………Duo?" 

          He was sitting on her bed, a box in his lap, papers and pictures in his hand. He looked up at her with emotionless violet eyes. "Akage? Baby? What is this, Anna?" he asked, voice just above a cold whisper. 

          She felt the blood drain out of her face. "Oh," she whispered. 

          She had major league problems now. 


	51. San

Chapter Fifty-one: San

A/N: This is just a friendly reminder that school has started and therefore Anna-chan and I are moving much slower than usual on this and any other writing projects we may have.  Gomen nasai!! If we had our way, all our classes would be our writings I'm sure (and my art!!)

          The sound of bullets being fired and shattering glass was heard from down the hallway and the Yuys picked up their speed.  

          Chase disappeared around to the right as Heero darted to the left, both going down separate hallways that led to the room where the scream had come from.  The petite, emerald eyed pilot pulled her castor from the bag she had picked up on the way out and loaded it, silently reminding herself that she would need to make her stops by Gene Starwind's world soon to restock. 

          She heard Heero growl something in frustration and then something thumping into the wall, most likely his fist, and most likely a sign that things were not going their way.

          Zechs stood back, eyes narrowed, and hand clutching his bleeding shoulder.  Heero was leaning back against the wall, lightly holding his hand against the reopened bullet wound.  

          The image of what must have happened played in Chase's mind:  Zechs had been in there with her and men had rushed in. Many men from the looks of the overturned furniture and the two wounded soldiers.  They had shot through the glass and – she looked up – the skylight above.  That had been the shattering glass she had heard that had followed the bullets.  

          "Daijoubu ka, boyos?" she asked as she stepped in, avoiding the glass with grace.

          Heero grunted his answer and stepped toward the window leading to the back of the house.  His dark eyes scanned the night and found nothing. 

          "They are long gone," Zechs said quietly.  

          Chase shrugged.

          The bleached blond haired man glared slightly.  "I know you do not think highly of my sister, Chase, but that is no reason to simply allow her to be captured.  That is not at all what the Chase Yuy that left here ten years ago would have done."

          The emerald-eyed woman smirked. "Ah, but the girl from ten years ago has learned so much more."  She produced a small device.  "This will track her anywhere on the planet."

          "Odin?" 

          "Of course.  I haven't been entirely out of the loop these past ten years," she answered with a shrug.  "Odin's kept me up on many a thing."

          Zechs smirked.  "Let's dress our wounds quickly, and then I can pull some strings to get what we need."

          "Done," a voice said from outside the room.  Quatre Winner walked into the large area.  A wide grin spread across his features. "We pick them up as soon as we can get there."

          Heero cocked an eyebrow. "Pick what up?"

          "The Gundams," Quatre responded.  "There's no need to rebuild what is there.  The Wing Zero and the Sandrock are in the museum along with Tallgeese."

          "How odd," Chase murmured.  "Too bad the Galaxy isn't there."

          "In time, Chase," Quatre responded.  

          "Time is not on our side, tamadachi."

          "And until that time, I would like to make a request of you."

          "Name it, Quat."

          "Pilot the Sandrock."

          Chase's emerald eyes widened.  "Atashi?" she managed.  She had never piloted the Sandrock in her life.  She wasn't even sure she was qualified to fly a Gundam any more. 

          Quatre smiled. "Chase, I never wanted any thing more than peace in our world and every other one now that we know they exist.  I fear I have been away from Gundam battles too long and my heart is too soft.  Softer than before, if possible.  Chase-chan, you can pilot anything you wish.  I want you to pilot the Sandrock."

          "What about you?"

          "I'll be the technical support from the ground."

          "The strategist," Heero whispered.

          "In Trowa's place," his wife added quietly, almost to herself.

          Quatre forced a smile.  "Yes." He took a deep breath.  "Someone must be the ground support, and I believe I am the best one to fit that role at the current moment. I may or may not join you all when all the Gundams are rebuilt, but that is a ways away."

          Chase nodded.  "Then let's get you boys fixed up and go find the Queen of the World," she said with a grin.

          The controls of the Sandrock felt odd under her fingers.  She felt the Zero System jump into life for the first time in ten years and it sent chills up her spine.  Chills that she could not control.

          Flashes of visions littered her mind's eye.  Glass. Mirrors reflecting the fragility of the situation.  Trowa.  The glass around him shattering into tiny shards and leaving her to wonder what the System was telling her.

          The visions faded as quickly as they had come and she realized that she was moving forward, feeling slightly awkward at the controls of a strange Gundam.

          An image flickered onto the screen and Heero's dark blue eyes stared into her emerald ones.  "Ready?"

          Chase grinned. "I've been wanting to do this for ten years!" she responded. "Let's go!"

          Flames leapt up in the wake of the three Gundams.  Chase Yuy opened up the door to the Sandrock and stepped out, careful not to inhale the smoke as she jumped to the ground.  

          She moved stealthily through the rubble and found what she was looking for.  "Step away from her, boyo," the small pilot said quietly as she pressed the muzzle of the gun against a soldier's back.  

          He turned, surprised.  "Gundam…"

          Chase smirked and shrugged.  "Go ahead.  Say it.  I've missed it."

          She shoved him away from them, taking a firm hold of the former Queen of the World's wrist.  The soldier fell backwards.  "Sound the alarms!" he called to the people. "Gundam pilots on the ground!"

          "It's a Gundam," Chase said mockingly. "Never thought people could really state things that obvious until I joined that war."

          "You came for me?  Where's Heero?" Relena asked, eyes wide.

          "Fighting.  Come on.  I got stuck rescuing you.  They must not care that much whether or not you come out alive."

          "You wouldn't just leave me here for them to kill me, would you?"

          "Don't give me any ideas," Chase said as she grabbed the elder woman's wrist. "Ikou za!" 


	52. Here Then Gone, Then Back Again

**Chapter Fifty-two: Here Then Gone, Then Back Again**

The Lady Trinity Barton smiled at herself in her full-length mirror. It was the smile she put on to make people feel at ease around her, to make them trust her. She swished her ankle length crimson evening gown around her, approving of the garment before taking it off and handing it back to her maid. 

          "That will be all." Trinity said, dismissing the woman.  She re-dressed into her usual green blouse and black slacks. She pushed her blonde hair back into a ponytail and let her 'trust' smile turn into a dark smirk. 

          "Enter, Drizzik." She said, turning towards the door. 

          The lavender haired warrior came in and shut the door behind him. He bowed. "My Lady." 

          "I was very pleased with your brother, Drizzik. I'm going to have a little training exercise for him soon." Trinity said, offering him a drink. 

          He took it and leaned against one of the armchairs she had in her quarters. "Good. He will not disappoint you. Are you sure you do not wish me to attend the ball?" 

          "I'd love for you too, however, with your…unusual coloring, I'm afraid you would be noticed to much. I don't want everyone knowing about you yet. But think of it, Drizzik. Soon we'll have everything we want. I will be unstoppable with two dragon warriors. The fake Trowa Barton is dead, his sniveling little partner Quatre Winner will no longer fight, and after tomorrow, Duo and Anna Maxwell will no longer be of concern. It's all shaping up very, very, nicely." 

          "I'm afraid that Relena Dorilan is still a problem. The Yuys and her brother foiled both our attempts yesterday." 

          "It is of no importance. Once the gundam pilots have fallen, Relena Dorilan will no longer hold the position she does. She's a decent diplomat, but she has always had the backing of the Preventers and the gundam pilots, and her brother…" 

          "Jack Avis is still alive." 

          "Let him stay that way. He knows nothing. However, an idea has just occurred to me." 

          "What?" 

          Trinity turned icy blue eyes on her right hand man. "Attack Zechs Marquise. I want him out of the game. Do not fail me, Drizzik." 

          Drizzik smiled darkly. "Never, my Lady. I will return with better news." 

At the townhouse in Chicago, Anna threw her keys in her purse and violently snatched her coat from the back of the couch. She flung open the door to find Wufei with his hand where the doorknob had been two seconds ago.

          "Ohayo, Anna…" 

          Anna nearly went chibi. "Hi, Fei-chan, bye Fei-chan, got to run, I need to pick up Jack from the hospital and I'm going to be late because I have to sign his release papers and…" 

          "Anna, shut up." Wufei said, grabbing her wrist and dragging her inside. 

          She blinked up at him. 

          He sighed. "Anna, you know I love you, and there are many ways to describe you, but your impression of Chase on a sugar high in her early teen years is lacking. What's wrong with you?"

          "Nothing." She squeaked.

          "Where is Duo?" 

          "Gone." She squeaked. 

          "Gone where?" 

          Anna let out a tremendous sigh and flopped on her couch. "I don't know. He'll be back, though." 

          "Why did he leave?" 

          "He needed space." 

          "Space for what?" Wufei asked. 

          "To grieve for the son he never had." Anna said flatly.

          The Chinese man stared at her. "It's…Mirek…" 

          Anna shook her head quickly. "No, no. He doesn't know. He found my box. The pictures, the letters, the fabrics and colors and everything…" 

          "You kept a box?" Wufei asked sitting next to her.

          She nodded. "Yeah. I had to keep it. It was the only I had to remind me that I had been a wife and almost a mother." 

          "So that makes four that know." Wufei said with a sigh.

          "Four?"

          "You, me, Heero and Duo." 

          "Oh, that's right. I'd forgotten that I'd told Heero when he showed up." 

          " That and I told him last week." 

          "Oh." 

          They were silent together for a long time, until Anna stood up with a sad smile. "I really do have to go get Jack's release papers signed."

          Wufei nodded. "I'll be here."

          "I know." 

          She left and Wufei ran a hand over his face. This was going to be difficult. 

          Five minutes later, Duo burst in the door, cheeks red, and eyes flashing. "Where's Anna?" he asked, steam coming off his breath.

          "She went to the hospital. What's going on?" 

          "They've taken Zechs. He was wounded in the process. Somebody else was too, the connection I got with Chase was fuzzy. They need somebody as backup." 

          "I'll go." Wufei said. 

          "No, I should go." Duo said.

          "You need to stay with your wife." 

          "Would you pilot the Tallgeese?" 

          Wufei faltered. 

          Duo nodded. "I'll go. Tell Anna I'll be back before Sunday night. We might be getting into the midst of the war now." He patted Wufei's arm. "I'll be back." He stopped at the door. "And, Wu-man?" 

          Wufei cringed. "Nani?" 

          Duo grinned. "Thanks. For being there when I couldn't be." He left. 

          Wufei blinked. "No wonder they got married. Their the only ones who could handle each other's confusion." 

          Jack Avis looked up from the window when he heard the door open. He smiled back at the grin Anna gave him. 

          "How are you feeling?" Anna asked, pulling his chart out. 

          "Good. A little stiff, but everything's working right." Jack answered. 

          "Good, good. Let's get you out of here." Anna said, putting her signature to a few of the papers. 

          "Can I ask you one question?" 

          "Anything you like." She answered. Jack was about to say something when her cell phone rang. He grinned and motioned for her to answer it. She nodded thanks and flipped it open. "Anna Maxwell." 

          "We have problems," Meg Collins voice told her. 

          "What kind of problems?" Anna asked warily. 

          "Trowa's body is gone." Meg said. 

          "I assume that means the rest of him is gone too." Anna said dryly. 

          "Anna, I'm serious! He's gone!" 

          "What do you mean, he's gone? He was the living dead last time I checked." Anna hissed. 

          "Well he has to be one or the other now, because he's gone. I lost him!" 

          "How could you loose Trowa's body!?" Anna nearly squawked. 

          "I don't know!" 

          "Well find him!" 

          "How?" Meg cried. 

          "I don't know!" Anna exclaimed. She turned and met Jack's stricken expression. "I have to go." She told Meg softly.

          "Okay." Meg said. "I guess I can stage a burial for him, so at least OWN won't find out." 

          "That sounds good." Anna said. "Bye." She hung up. "Jack…"

          "He's dead." Jack whispered. "Trowa's dead." 

          "Jack, it's not…" 

          He shook his head stopping her. "I want to see him." He whispered.

          "Jack, darling, Meg says that there isn't a…his body is gone." 

          The young man shut his eyes. "There's a grave?" 

          "Hai." 

          "Then I must see it." He whispered. 

          Anna nodded slowly. "Let's get you out of here, get a couple changes of clothes for you, and we'll go." 

          Jack nodded and signed his papers.  

The ride from the hospital to Anna and Chase's townhouse was subdued and silent. Jack stared out the window at the blurring images passing him by, lost in his own thoughts. Anna ached for the boy, for she knew what he was feeling. But as usual, there was nothing she could say to make it any better. Time and silence are the only things that healed. 

          Jack followed her into the townhouse and set his pack down. "You have a nice place." He said quietly. 

          "Thanks. I wish I could spend more time here." Anna said. "We'll use the laptop, if you don't mind. It's cheaper, and faster." 

          Jack nodded and sat heavily on the couch. Anna smiled sadly at him before going to the stairs. 

          "Fei-chan?" She called.

          He appeared at the top of the steps. "Yeah?" 

          "Jack's here, but we're going to Tokyo for a bit. I'll be back before the 'inaugural ball' tomorrow." 

          "The what?" Wufei asked. 

          "Duo and I received a joint invitation to some sort of inaugural ball at Peacemillion Hall tomorrow night."

          "Duo's gone, Anna. Heero contacted him. Apparently Milliardo was injured along with somebody else. They needed backup." 

          "WHAT?!?!" Anna squawked. "He couldn't have! We've both got to go to this thing tomorrow! It could be our only opportunity to see who's actually behind the OWN group!" she exclaimed. 

          "You panic too quickly, woman. I'll go with you." 

          "I hate to burst your bubble, Fei-chan, but you hardly look like a Maxwell." Anna said flatly.  

          "I'm afraid I'm all you've got." 

          "Fine, fine. But if they shoot at us before we get in the door, it's all your fault, baby." She said. She moved past him and into her bedroom.

          Ten minutes later she reappeared, dressed in black pants, a black blouse, black leather jacket, and her dark-rimmed glasses. Her hair was pinned back. Wufei could see the shape of her gun in her holster under the jacket, and the laptop was under her arm. 

          "You look like you did when we used to fight against Treize." He said quietly. 

          "I'm going to mourn the death of a gundam pilot as a gundam pilot. 'Cause deep down, that's what we all really are." 

          He nodded. "I'll see you tomorrow then." 

          "Ja ne, Fei-chan." She said. 

          Anna gently touched Jack's shoulder. "You ready?" 

          He nodded and grabbed his pack. "As ready as I'll ever be." 

          They were gone in a flash of light. 

          Seconds later, Jack Avis and Anna Maxwell appeared in front of the hospital where they had been earlier. Jack waited outside while Anna went in and talked to Meg. She returned and they hailed a cab to take them to a private cemetery on the outskirts of the city. 

          The cab left them at the gates of the cemetery as dusk began to fall. 

          "She said it was secluded in the back." Anna said softly. Jack nodded almost imperceptibly. The only other sounds heard was the quiet chirping of the few birds still out. 

          After a short walk, they crested a hill walked through a small forest. Anna gasped as they came upon an empty meadow. Empty, save the lone headstone. Jack looked at her questioningly. 

          "This is it, isn't it?" he murmured. 

          "Hai…demo, this place is still here in the future. At least it was in 197 A.C." 

          "How do you know?" 

          "It's the spot we all agreed to be buried on. We thought that as pilots and a team we should all…together…but no one else knew." Anna half whispered. 

          Jack only nodded, not really listening. His eyes were fixed on the headstone and on the name that was engraved there. He could feel the hot moisture on his cheeks before he even reached it, and when he got there he fell to his knees. "Trowa…Trowa," he breathed. He leaned his forehead against the stone and sobbed. 

          He ran his fingers over the writings on the stone as he cried. "I'm sorry. I should have been there… I'm sorry I could only save you once…" he whispered. 

          He let out a strangled cry and drove his fist into the headstone. Anna jerked forward at the sight. She dropped to her knees behind him and grabbed his fist as he moved to hit it again. 

          "Jack, Jack, don't." She begged. 

          He fought against her before turning and crying against her. She held him tightly. 

          "Jack, listen to me. He cared about you very much. I knew him for a long time, and didn't know him for a long time, but I can tell you this. I can name four people that he held in his heart and his soul. And you're one of them. Nothing will ever change that. You were special to him, and you always will be." 

          Eventually his shaking subsided and pulled away. He kissed his palm before pressing it against the stone. 

          They stood, and silently left the cemetery. 

          Dawn broke out over Tokyo in brilliant shades of pink and red as the sun rose. Jack Avis pulled his jacket closer around him and pushed the gate to the cemetery open. He had come to say a final goodbye, because once he left, he didn't know if he could ever come back. 

          He breached the hill, breath frosting in the early morning air. He slowly moved through the thick trees, heading for the meadow. As he neared it, Jack paused on the tree line, just staring at the meadow. It was beautiful in the light. The sunbeams danced off of the dew, making everything glitter.

          Even the ominous marker that bore Trowa's name, Jack noted. He started towards it and froze as his eye caught something lying atop the headstone. He squinted, and the sun bounced off the object, glinting red. His heart clenched. It looked like…but it couldn't be. 

          Jack ran headlong the rest of the short distance and once again knelt. He reached for the object, fingers trembling. It was an envelope, and wrapped around that envelope was a little silver cross with a ruby in the center. The envelope had his name on it, in an all too familiar scroll. 

          Shaking, he clutched the cross and opened the note. Inside it simply read:  

Do not stand at my grave and weep. **  
I am not there, I do not sleep.  
I am a thousand winds that blow,  
I am the diamond glints on the snow.  
I am the sunlight on ripened grain,  
I am the gentle autumn's rain.  
When you awaken in the morning's hush,  
I am the swift uplifting rush  
Of quiet birds in circled flight.  
I am the stars that shine at night.   
Do not stand at my grave and cry,  
I am not there, I did not die….**

          Jack was frozen in place, a shocked look on his pale features. Time momentarily stood still for the young man as his shattered world repaired itself. He jumped up, trained eyes scanning the area frantically. "Trowa? Trowa! Trowa! Doko wa?" he cried.

          At the entrance, Anna frowned and listened. She'd thought…yes, there it was…it was Jack, she realized. Shouting for Trowa. She took off at a dead run, passing the rest of the cemetery in a daze. She quickly navigated the trees and stopped at the meadow, breathing heavily. 

          Jack turned to her, eyes wide. "He's alive." 

          In 210 A.C. Duo Maxwell shook his head as he got off the elevator of a much different hospital from the one in Tokyo. The first thing his found was Chase in the waiting room. She greeted him with serious and furious green eyes. 

"Who else got hurt? How bad is it? And how did they kidnap Zechs?" he asked. 

Author's notes: Konnichiwa, minna-san! Finally working on this again! Life is crazy, what can I say? At any rate, the poem enclosed in the previous chapter does not belong to me. It is an anonymous poem I found on the internet. Kudos to whoever wrote it, though. It's a brill piece of work!


	53. Anger Rising

Chapter Fifty-three: Anger Rising  

          "Heero's hurt, he hasn't woken up yet, and it's Relena's fault."

          Duo blinked at the quickly spouted out answers.  "Do we have a next move?"

          "When I come up with it I'll let you know," the smaller pilot growled as she turned and headed for the door.

          "That girl has had to deal with a lot in the past couple of weeks," a voice said from behind.  

          Duo turned to see Odin Lowe standing in the doorway that led to the hospital rooms.  He nodded an acknowledgement.

          "She's still a hurt little girl.  No one grows past something like what those two went through.  It could be ten years or one hundred and it wouldn't matter.  I've watched Elise-chan for a long while now.  She puts on a wonderful façade in front of the media's eyes and her fans, but she hurts.  Now Heero's come back and that hurt has started to dwindle back into the love that it began as.  Elise is a very fragile person, though she might not appear so too most.  Her emotions are unstable and she clings to her sanity only by a thread at times.  Cut her some slack."

          "Yeah, I know those two had it ruff, but don't think that Heero and I didn't have our run through too," Duo countered. "We were alone as well."

          "I'm sure you did," Odin replied, looking out into the pouring rain, "but I didn't watch you go through it."

          Chase sighed as she turned her emerald colored eyes toward the dark clouds and allowed rain to pour down her face.  "Come one step closer to me, and I will throw you over this bridge," she hissed as she heard Relena making her way through the rain.

          Relena Peacecraft – Dorlian blinked and stepped forward, not heeding the younger woman's threat, and joined her in leaning on the small bridge's railing.  "It's not my fault, you know."

          The brunet pilot turned hateful eyes to the blond. "Oh it is, Relena-san.  If you weren't as foolish as to get yourself involved in all of this, then we wouldn't have to be saving your sorry ass every little while.  You do realize that is twice now since we came here that I've had to bail you out."

          Relena cringed at the roughness in the younger woman's voice.  "Gomen nasai…"

          "You're apologizing to the wrong person."

          Relena nodded slightly, turning. "Shouldn't you come inside, Chase-san?"

          The petite pilot shook her head. "I love the rain."

          "Doesn't it remind you?"

          "Of what came back to me, and what I should be thankful for."

          "Aa," Relena responded as she walked turned and walked away.

          "Peace is never achieved, is it?" Chase mused out loud. "Never, though we fight with all we have…"

          "You should be more careful in battle than to allow your dear husband to be injured like that," a voice said from the shadows.

          Chase turned, emerald eyes flying open. "Ryu?"

          "Hello, Chase-chan."


	54. Women in Red

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Women in Red **

As Anna descended her steps to leave for the ball, Wufei remembered the first time he'd seen her in red. 

They had gone to a charity ball undercover, not unlike what they were doing that evening. There had only been four of them on the mission: Anna, Wufei, Quatre, and Trowa. They'd wound up drawing straws to see who would be Anna's 'date' and who would go with a 'friend.' He'd gotten her. 

          She had been in white that night in a spaghetti strap gown that made her look ethereal. It billowed slightly at the bottom and she'd worn diamond earrings, if he remembered right. 

          They had danced, and being the sport that she was, danced with Quatre and even Trowa. It began as a beautiful evening, and it ended in a bloody massacre. 

It started with limited ground fire from men in Treize's group that had infiltrated the benefit. There had been a massive hand-to-hand battle as the guests fled and Treize's men had been revealed. The four pilots had quickly realized they hadn't been prepped for the mission as well as they had thought. After they ran out of rounds, they had been forced to resort to knives, swords, anything they could get their hands on. 

          Trowa had been hit by gunfire in the arm, and Anna by a knife slash to the upper chest/shoulder area. 

          It ended, and they were all extremely lucky to have survived the attack. After establishing that all four of them were alive and relatively unhurt, Quatre had wept at the damage they had done. Trowa had pulled him away from the carnage, murmuring things that Wufei hadn't heard. 

          Anna had fled into the field outside the hall, her dress completely crimson stained, her hair flying wildly around her, tears on her face. 

          That had been the first time he'd seen her in red. She'd been terrifyingly beautiful. It was the first time he'd kissed her, too.  

          "You look amazing." Wufei said, extending his arm for her to take. 

          She smiled. "Why, thank you. I tried." 

          "You succeeded." He said. 

          Anna waved him off with a smile and pulled out the laptop. "This will take us to a little town about fifteen minutes away from Peacemillion Hall. Most of tonight's guests are staying in this town, and whoever 'Her Majesty' is has decided to provide limos for us." 

          Wufei nodded. Anna paused, and looked at him. 

          "You haven't worn that in a very long time." She said quietly. 

          Wufei glanced down at his outfit. "Do you approve?"

          Anna nodded slowly. "Of course. It's gorgeous." 

          "You do know you're the only person I'd let get away with saying something like that." 

          She laughed. "Yes." 

          He was wearing a traditional Chinese ceremonial outfit. The high neck and sleeve cuffs were trimmed in a red that matched Anna's outfit. The same color red was used on the jacket on extremely detailed dragons that were set off against a black background. 

          Anna nodded again. "All right. Let's be off." 

          The room was flooded with light, and they were gone. 

          They found the hotel in the small town without difficulty and were taken to their limo after Anna showed the man in charge their invitation. She heard him make a remark to somebody that Wufei certainly didn't _look _American, but one never knew these days. 

          They waited in the car for ten minutes or so before they began the journey to Peacemillion Hall. 

          "Something's happened to Milliardo. Otherwise they wouldn't be using this place." Anna said quietly. 

          Wufei nodded. "Duo said that he'd been taken and injured in the process. These people know what they're doing." 

          Anna rubbed her shoulder absently. "Victor was just the beginning." 

          Wufei reached over and pulled her hand away from the healing wound. "So what happened to your patient?" he asked. 

          "Jack? He's in Tokyo, staying with Meg." 

          "Do they know each other?" 

          "Not well. I suppose you should know…" 

          "Know what?" 

          Anna looked at him, dark blue eyes glowing in the semi-dark. "Trowa is alive." 

          "That's impossible, Anna." Wufei said quietly. 

          "No. No it isn't. You would have said the same thing about Heero and Duo, but they came back." 

          "It would take that same drug to save him." 

          "It was that same drug." 

          "How is that possible? Dr. J died years ago." 

          "When Heero rescued Duo from Victor, Meg was with him. They had to go to Dr. J's laboratory to revive Duo, and Meg found the drug. She used it on Jack, and she used it on Trowa. Jack's with her because Trowa left him a letter. He's alive, and he'll come back." 

          Wufei ran a hand through his hair. "This is insane. Who all knows about this?" 

          "Meg, Jack, you and I." 

          "No one else should know. Not now. Trowa could wind up being our only hope of winning this. Do you remember when I told you that I was invited to be a part of OWN?" 

          "Yes." Anna said. 

          "Anna, Trowa created a gundam. It's massive and it's incredible, but there's a catch." 

          "I know he built one, but we don't know where it is. What catch?" 

          "I don't know what catch, I just know there is one. He and his right hand were the only people who knew the details." 

          "Jack was his right hand." Anna said. 

          "Right. So if Jack knows what the catch is, we might be able to win. But OWN still has this gundam somewhere." 

          She nodded. "We also have Ryuujin to deal with. He healed at an alarming rate, Wufei. Something about him isn't human." 

          "Have we decided he's a traitor?" 

          "I don't know. He's dangerous, of that we can be sure." 

          The car stopped and a moment later their door was opened. 

          "Mr. And Mrs. Maxwell, welcome to Peacemillion hall."

          Wufei stepped out of the car and reached back to give Anna his hand. She took it, and carefully got out of the limo. She inhaled sharply and Wufei nodded. 

          "I don't remember this place being this big…" She murmured. 

          "Probably because we were so focused on other things." Wufei said. He thanked and tipped their chauffer and led Anna up the marble steps to the front entrance.  

          The butler took their names once they entered the hall and led them forward into the ballroom. 

          "Presenting Mr. Duo Maxwell and his wife Mrs. Anna Maxwell."

          Several other couples all ready there looked up and exchanged nods with the newly introduced couple. Wufei led Anna across the room to a corner that was not so crowded. 

          "It's just like I remember it. Fei-chan, if they took Peacemillion Hall, where are Noin and her children?" she whispered. 

          "Quatre sent word to Dorothy to take Catherine Barton and Noin's children to his estate in Northern Europe. As for Noin herself, I don't know. Duo didn't mention anything about her capture. She might be with Lady Une, but I haven't heard word from her either." 

          "After this we need to start feeling around and make sure all our sources are still in one piece. We've been so caught up in our own little soap opera we haven't been looking at the big picture." Anna muttered. 

          "I hardly call taking out a major factor of OWN, loosing a gundam pilot, almost loosing you, and having two time periods on the brink of war a soap opera." 

          "Nevertheless…" 

          The butler moved away from the outer hall and stood by the base of the stairs that descended into the ballroom. "All of tonight's guests have arrived. Therefore, it is my pleasure to present the leader of OWN and soon to be leader of the world, the Lady Trinity Barton!" 

          The crowd erupted in applause and the lights dimmed before a spotlight was placed at the top of the stairs. Trinity Barton stood proudly at it's peak, her blonde hair falling past her shoulders, her green eyes analyzing everything in the room. She smiled prettily, causing the applause to grow. She wore a strapless, fitted gown in a color that could only be described as blood red. 

          Trinity glanced up at her escort. "I'm very please you managed to find a way to be at my side tonight." She murmured. 

          Drizzik brushed away dark brown bangs and gazed at her with clear blue eyes instead of his normal red. "Anything to keep my lady happy." 

          As they began to descend the stairs, Trinity spotted a young woman in a high collared red gown watching her carefully. Trinity smiled, turning it into a half smirk, and the woman nodded her head ever so slightly. 

          "I believe I have located the Maxwells. You know what to do." 

          "Yes, my lady." 

          The band began playing a lively waltz when the Lady reached the bottom and couples moved to the dance floor. Drizzik left Trinity's arm to acquire his target. The Maxwells would not be leaving the party. 

          Drizzik glided over to the young woman chatting to whom he assumed to be her husband. He knew that the woman had to be Anna Maxwell, since he'd seen the other girl from pictures his brother had. He recognized the man from the pictures they had obtained of the five male gundam pilots. They had gotten pictures, but no names. This man wasn't the one he'd pegged as Duo Maxwell, but that's what happened when one made assumptions Drizzik smirked. 

          "Ms. Anna Maxwell, I presume?" he said in his baritone voice. 

          Anna and Wufei looked up at the address. 

          "Yes?" Anna replied. She studied him carefully. There was something familiar about him. 

          Drizzik bowed and kissed her hand and she half curtsied as was custom. "My name is Drizzik. I work for the Lady, and she thought you might like to dance." 

          Anna curved her lips into her trademark all-knowing smile. "I take it you are more than her escort?" 

          "As you wish to think." 

          "Well, Lord Drizzik, I'm flattered. However, I believe my husband wished the first dance. After that if you like…" 

          Drizzik smiled. "I shall return for your hand." 

          As he swirled away, Wufei bristled. "He totally ignored me." 

          "That was the point. Alienate the husband and lure away the wife. If I had gone I'd probably be dead within five minutes. This way, I've baited him." 

          "Baited him? You make him sound like an oversized trout." 

          Anna socked him in the arm. "But now I'm more than a target. I'm an interest. Now he wants to know about me before he kills me. Every assassin's downfall." 

          Wufei rolled his eyes. "Women. Shall we?" 

          Anna grinned and he led her onto the dance floor. 

          Trinity watched the dancing couple as Drizzik came up to her. "Why?" she murmured. 

          "In order not to be killed on the spot by her ruffled husband. I get the feeling he's rather protective of what's his. After he dances, I dance. Then I'll get what you want." 

          She smiled. "Good. Millardo Peacecraft is still secure, is he not?" 

          "He is." 

          She nodded. "After tonight, contact your brother. I have another mission for him. In the meantime, if you don't mind, I think I'd like to dance as well." 

          Drizzik kissed her hand and they joined the couples on the dance floor. 

          Several dances later Trinity gave Drizzik the nod and he slowly moved them towards the Maxwells. When they got closer Wufei and Anna stopped dancing to acknowledge the Lady. Drizzik and Trinity followed formalities. 

          "I'm very glad you could come. I would have understood had you been unavailable." Trinity said pleasantly. 

          "Well, we figured that when one received a personal invitation from the future Queen of the World that we should come." Anna returned. 

          Trinity smiled thinly. "I prefer to be called it's leader. I do not wish in any way to be associated with Relena Peacecraft, or her temporary reign." 

          "Of course." Wufei said. 

          "Shall we trade for the next dance?" Trinity asked. "If you don't mind sharing your husband, that is." 

          Anna glanced at Wufei. "It's all right with me." 

          Wufei nodded slowly. "Sounds fine." 

          The music started and the couples split off. 

          "So how long have you been married?" Drizzik asked her.

          Anna thought for a moment. "Seven years, I guess."

          'You married young." 

          "We were at war, Lord Drizzik. It was marry then or risk not being married at all." 

          "You've never had children?" 

          "I'm expecting my first." 

          "Congratulations." 

          "Thank you." Anna said, realizing that the only two people that knew were a good friend and possibly a greater enemy.

          "You know, I should kill you here and now. It was you that murdered Victor." 

          "If you killed me here and now you'd loose half your following. I mean, after all, it would look bad if you killed a pregnant woman in the middle of a waltz." 

          He laughed. "True enough."  They moved off the dance floor and onto the adjacent balcony. 

          Drizzik leaned against the railing. "I'm a cold blooded killer, I've murdered thousands of people." 

          "I don't find that surprising."

          He lifted an eyebrow. "No?" 

          Anna leaned her back against the railing. "I'm a cold blooded killer. I've murdered hundreds, possibly thousands of people." She repeated. She smiled at his puzzled expression. "I'm a gundam pilot. You know that. I killed countless OZ soldiers from inside my beast, and I killed countless more on individual missions. Death is no stranger to me. I married him and I'm bearing his son. I lost that life and began another, but I've all ready broken my Hippocratic oath as a doctor. It couldn't be helped."  

          "There's a difference, Ms. Maxwell." 

          "Really?" 

          Drizzik smirked. "I enjoy it. I have no regrets." 

          "Then yes. That would make us entirely different." 

          His eyes flashed, and Anna saw their true color. In that instant, she knew why he looked familiar. They were the same color eyes that Ryuujin had when he was in fury mode. She saw it in the stance, the manner, the way of thinking. Drizzik was just older and more secure in his abilities. 

          "Your brother takes after you." She said finally. 

          Drizzik nodded. "Very good. I was hoping you'd pick up on that. You're not an easy woman to fool." 

          "Thank you. Answer me this: Whose side is he on?" 

          Drizzik grinned darkly. "Ask me that in twenty-four hours, Anna, and I will give you an honest answer. You are not a woman to be charmed into death, no; I will face you on the battlefield." He held out his hand. "We have been away too long." 

          "Indeed." Anna had a very ominous feeling about Ryuujin at that moment. The sooner they found him, the better. 

          "I really am surprised only the two of you came. I would have suspected this an opportune moment for all the gundam pilots to make an appearance." Trinity said. 

          "Everyone else was busy. Besides, I'm sure you have apt security had we launched any sort of attack." 

          "Yes, apt is one word for it. I really was hoping Mr. Barton would show up, seeing as how we share a name." 

          "I'm afraid he has both feet in the grave." 

          "How sad." 

          "Isn't it? However, I'm tempted to think you had a hand in that." Wufei said. "Did you send Ryuujin after him?" 

          "Ryuujin? Can't say that I did. I'm afraid his missions only began recently." 

          "So he does work for you." 

          "He accepted a mission, however, I haven't received word that he completed it. Until then, I can't say that he does." Trinity said. 

          "You do know that if you proceed with this, you will be brought down. We didn't loose the last two wars, we won't loose this one." 

          "Please don't think me foolish, Mr. Maxwell. I'm not some naïve child like Marimea, nor am I looking to rule the world for the betterment of mankind as Treize did. What Treize did was honorable in it's own way. What Marimea did was loyal. What I am doing is out of purely selfish motivations. I wish to rule the world, Mr. Maxwell. That is what I intend on doing." 

          "You think what Treize was honorable?" Wufei asked quietly. 

          "Yes. His motives were honorable at any rate. He wanted to make the universe better by self-rule. All he wound up doing was greatly decreasing the population." Trinity said. "I don't intend to be a cruel dictator, Mr. Maxwell. I have no desire to go down in history as another Hitler, or Napoleon, or Alexander, or Treize. However, I'm not stupid enough to think that I'll make everything all better by a monarchy." 

          "You should be a very formidable opponent, Ms. Barton." Wufei said momentarily. "You hide your weaknesses very well." 

          "That I do, Mr. Maxwell. That I do." 

          "What was his mission?" Wufei asked. He saw Anna and Drizzik reenter the ballroom. 

          Trinity leaned over and whispered something in his ear. His eyes widened and she smiled politely. "I'll understand if you wish to leave now. However, I assure you that you'll be far too late." 

          Wufei whirled to look at Anna and she tilted her head slightly. He grabbed her arm as she approached. "We need to go." He murmured. 

          "What?" Anna asked, confused. 

          Trinity nodded. "We weren't going to let you live tonight, but I think it'll be more enjoyable if we meet again at a later time. I hope you enjoyed yourselves this evening. Adieu."

          Drizzik took Trinity's arm as Wufei hurried Anna out to their car. 

          "What is wrong with you, Wufei?" she demanded as he shoved her into the limo. 

          "Ryuujin accepted a mission from Trinity." 

          "I know that. You're point is?" 

          "She sent him to kill Chase."

          Anna shut her eyes. "Oh, Lord…" 

          Trinity sighed happily as they left. "Well, we got information at least." 

          Drizzik nodded. "That wasn't Duo Maxwell with her." 

          "I didn't think so. It begs the question, then, where is the real Mr. Maxwell? And why would she bring someone other than her husband?" 

          Drizzik frowned. "I don't know. She said she was pregnant, and I didn't sense any great stress around her, so I don't think it was marital problems." 

          Trinity's green eyes narrowed. "Go find out if Ryuujin's accomplished what he set out to do. Either way, send him after Peacecraft's children next." 

          "Yes, my Lady." 

          "I have the rest of my guests to charm. I'll see you soon." 

          Drizzik bowed and Trinity returned to her people. Eliminating the pilots was taking far too long for her liking. If things didn't change soon, she'd be going after them herself.  


	55. No Time For Rational Thought

**Chapter Fifty-five: No Time for Rational Thought**

A/n: Hello! This is Chase ^^  I just wanted to say that I've had this song in mine FOREVER for this scene.  *****evil giggling*  Anyway, I don't own "Crutch" Lovely Matchbox 20 does! Oh! And if you like Ryuujin and you just hate to see him evil and twisted, go read DESTINY on fictionpress b/c Chase and Ryu are two of the main stars (though differ from THIS Chase and Ryu by quite a bit)  ^^

          "Hello, Chase-chan."

          "It is you!" Chase exclaimed. "I've been so worried! You disappeared, and you were hurt so badly!"  She ran to him, but stopped short as her instincts kicked in.  "Ryu?"

i don't want to be the crutch   
one step away from down

            A cold, frightening smile crossed the swordsman's lips.  "I've accepted a mission."

          "Oh?"

          "To kill the Gundam pilot 06."

        Chase's emerald eyes widened with horror.  "Ryu!"  She leapt as he moved with blinding speed towards her.  "It would be no fun to end this quickly, would it, 06?  How about a no weapons policy?"

          The emerald-eyed pilot swallowed hard. 'I can't fight him,' she thought to herself, but her instincts screamed at her that she had to as Ryuujin lunged again.  This time his quick hand caught Chase's fragile wrist and whipped her around like a rag doll, flinging her to his left.

man i feel like hell so come on over   
be a love machine and i could be your friend

            Chase felt her body slam into the bridge's railing and she forced the yell to be silent in her throat.  She crouched against the soggy ground, fingers sinking into the mud.  She looked around. Where had he gone?

          "I take it back," a low voice said from behind.  "You can use weapons.  I think this might be over before I have my fun if you don't."

          Chase Yuy jumped out of his range, going for her gun. All she found was her caster.  She had a couple shells in her bag, but her bag was sitting on the other side of Ryuujin.  "Move," she growled as she cocked the gun.

ain't no shame feel strong for one another   
make a real true color come end to end then

"Oh?" he asked tauntingly.  "And I suddenly take orders from our lovely Chase Yuy? I don't think so."

          Chase dodged and flipped over him as he came at her again.  She had to reach the bag.  There was no if in this, because if she failed here, she'd die here.  She would never see Heero again.  Or Anna-chan, or anyone else for that matter.  She shook away the depressing thoughts and grabbed her bag as she flipped over it. The American girl shoved the caster shells into her pocket and dodged out of the way.

          "You can't run forever, 06," Ryuujin said coldly as he brought his fist around into her ribcage, sending her back. Hard.  

          Chase coughed as she struggled up and stood.  She loaded one of the shells into the and cocked it.  "You know the punch these can give, Ryu. Don't make me shoot you."

________ change of pace   
i think there's still a piece of my heart   
on your face   
  
it's a shame to let it waste   
how does it taste?

"You won't hit me, Chase, and you know that.  I'm faster than you will ever hope to be."

          The young woman growled out a curse.  "I'll give it my best though, Ryuujin.  I won't let you kill me."

          "Suddenly so attached to life?"

          Chase nodded.  "Too bad for you."

            "Something's going on out there," Relena whispered as she peered out the window.

          Odin looked over her shoulder. "Damn," he muttered.  

          "What is it?" came the weak question from the hospital bed.

          Odin turned quickly.  "Heero!" Of all the times he could have decided to wake up this had to be it….. "How are you feeling, kid?"

          "Awful. What's going on?"

            "Chase-san and Ryuujin-san are fighting," Relena whispered in awe. "I never knew she could move so fast…."

          Heero pulled the IV out of his arm and stumbled out of bed.  Odin caught him as his knees nearly gave way. "Hold on there, kid. Take it easy."

          "Chase-chan… I've got to help her."

          "No you don't," Odin said sternly.  "You aren't in any condition to go running down there playing savior."

          "That's my wife!"

          "And she'd kill me if I let you go. I'll go, you just sit tight and trust in this old man, okay?"

          Heero nodded.  "Arigatou," he whispered.

break it down in pieces, make it simple   
'cause you know damn well that i'm a simple man   
all these things go changing like the weather   
and they stay that way until the weather man says   
one down, gone to waste

            Chase rolled out of the way.  She was down to her last shell, and it wasn't something she wanted to risk using.  A number nine shell, she remembered from her brief discussion with Starwind, sucked the user's energy from them.  Yes, it was effective in taking out an enemy, but she wasn't quite sure she wanted to kill Ryuujin.  In fact, she was quite sure she couldn't. A number nine was a last resort.

          "Now what will you do, 06?" he taunted.  "Run crying to your husband? No…. He unconscious on the fifteenth floor, isn't he?"

          Chase's eyes narrowed.  "You know a bit much, old friend."

          "More than you would guess," he responded, eyes flashing.

          That unnerved the pilot, but one would never have guessed as she jumped out of the way, swinging her caster at him in hopes that she would knock him just right to send him flying. No such luck.

i think there's still a piece of that smile on your face   
and i would like to see it erased   
there ain't no two ways about it.

            "We really would have made a good couple, you know that?" Ryuujin continued on.  "You and me… We could have been something, but that is pointless now, isn't it?"

          Chase dodged his fist.  "Yes it is."

          "You really do toy with men's hearts, dontcha?  Pull us in the like the suckers we are for you, and then turn us away like nothing.  Don't you realize what you do? Or maybe you do and that's what you like, ne, Chase?"

          The American woman stopped at this and was caught off her guard at the knee that implanted itself in her gut.  She cried out as she fell back and fired the caster.

bring it on then gone, use a lover   
like a cigarette the way that lovers do   
one sweet song that starts a little slow and   
then goes on and on and makes you want to   
move around the room in circles   
everybody wants to be you

            Chase felt the energy leave her body.  She vaguely saw Ryuujin fighting the darkness that swarmed around him, trying to pull him in.  

          The blue haired swordsman let out a sharp yell as he pushed it all back, a light exploding around him.  He knelt to the ground and stayed there a moment, breathing heavily.

          "You're mission, to kill the Gundam pilot 06," the voice echoed in his head.  Ryuujin shook his head slightly, clearing it.  "Not today, 06," he whispered as he started off.

try to find my place up on the map   
of all the men you've been through   
dig a little deeper and you'll realize  
all i'm building up you're tearing down.

            They had not been able to stop Heero from tugging on jeans and flying down the stairs, heedless of his condition, to his wife.  He scooped her up in his arms, shaking her slightly and then holding her to him and wrapping his arms around her. 

          "Heero?" came a weak voice.  "When did you wake up?"

I don't wanna be the crutch.

One step away from down.

"I love you so much," he whispered, voice almost frantic.

          She smiled a bit.  "I love you too," she responded as she sank into darkness.


	56. Ashes to Ashes, and From the Dust They R...

**Chapter Fifty-six: Ashes to Ashes, and From the Dust They Rise**

Quatre looked up from where the group had gathered in the hospital room, waiting to hear on Chase's condition. His aquamarine eyes flashed. "She's coming." 

          Duo nodded grimly. 

          "What are you two talking about?" Heero growled. He had refused to go back to his hospital bed until they told him that Chase would be all right. 

          "Anna." Quatre answered. "And she's not happy." 

          Odin shut his eyes. "I don't suppose her opinion of me changed over the years…" 

          Duo smirked. "Don't count on it." 

          "Great." 

          Not five seconds later a flash of red satin and fire whirled into the waiting room. "Where is she?" Anna demanded, eyes nearly glowing with fury and concern. "They've got a crime scene set up outside and there's blood everywhere."

          Wufei walked calmly in behind her, brushing snow off his sleeves. "I think that settles the matter of whose side Ryuujin is on, at any rate." He said.  

          "The doctors are still in with her. They haven't said anything yet." Quatre told Anna. 

          "And you're right. He's with them." Heero said darkly, acknowledging Wufei's comment. 

          "What are you both dressed up for?" Duo asked. 

          "We had a meeting." Anna said. 

          "With who?" Heero asked. 

          "Trinity Barton, leader of OWN and her lap dog, Drizzik." Wufei said. 

          "He's a lap dog with teeth and claws, Fei-chan." Anna said. "The only reason he's not running the show is because she did something for him and he owes her. Men like him are loyal to no one but themselves by choice." 

          "You met the leader of OWN?" Duo asked incredulously. 

          "Yes. She's not going to be easy to beat. She has no moral goals for the universe, she has no prior loyalties that can be used against her. She's smart, young, attractive, charming, and persuasive. What Relena could have been if she wanted to remain Queen of the World with an evil slant." Anna said. 

          "Speaking of, where is Relena? I thought you rushed off to save her." Wufei said. 

          "I sent her to be with Dorothy." Quatre said. "She'll be safer there." 

          Anna nodded. "Have you tried getting any news on Chase?"

          "Every five minutes." Heero said seriously. 

          Anna sat next to Duo. "Great." Her gaze fell on the older man in their midst. 

          Odin smiled as best he could, hoping that maybe she wouldn't recognize him. Anna had hated him since the instant they met, and due to certain events that occurred while she and Chase were with at one point during the war, she hated him even more. He was hoping that ten years and a supposed memory wipe had made her forget. Or at least tolerate him. 

          Quatre, however, knew differently. He could sense the instant Anna recognized him and tried to waylay the indefinite verbal onslaught. 

          "Anna, I'm concerned about…" 

          "Odin Lowe." Anna snarled. 

          Duo caught Quatre's eye and shrugged. "You tried." He muttered. 

          "What is he doing here?" the young woman demanded. 

          "You don't have to treat me like I'm not here…" Odin mumbled. 

          Anna stood, and Duo caught her arm. "Hey, A-chan…" he pleaded quietly. 

          "He's helping." Heero said flatly. 

          "With what?" 

          "He helped us escape from capture earlier." Heero answered. "He's on our side." 

          "I know that." Anna said witheringly. 

          "Then why…" Odin started. 

          "You know perfectly well why." Anna replied dangerously. Her eyes narrowed. "Did anyone see the fight?" 

          "We all did." Quatre said. 

          "And nobody helped her?" Anna exclaimed, furious. She stood again, hands on her hips.

          "It wasn't the type of situation where she could be helped." Odin said, standing to challenge her. 

          "Oh, really. She's just a pilot who hasn't exercised a whole lot of her training in the last ten years fighting a genetically mutated being a whole lot stronger than her whom she is also emotionally attached too. No, not a whole lot of help needed there." Anna said, sarcasm ringing through every word. 

          "Genetically mutated?" Duo, Wufei and Quatre asked together. 

          Anna waved them off. "He's not totally human. Why didn't you help her?!" 

          The other men had stood, perfectly prepared to hold back a fight. It had happened once before, Odin finding that Anna, when angry, was a formidable hand-to-hand opponent. 

          The entrance of the doctor saved him. 

          "Relatives of Chase Yuy?" a man called, almost bored sounding. 

          Heero stepped forward. "I'm her husband." 

          The doctor nodded. "She'll be all right. She's in a drug induced coma right now, just so she doesn't move around in her sleep. She broke a rib, and while it didn't pierce a lung, it'll need some time to heal. She should be awake in the morning." 

          Sighs of relief echoed around the room. 

          "Can I sit with her now?" Heero asked, shooting a backwards glance at Anna, who nodded. 

          The doctor nodded. "Yes, but only one of you." 

          "Go, Heero. I'll see her in the morning." She said quietly. 

          The Japanese man nodded and followed the doctor into the hallway. 

          Odin let his lip curl. "For being so angry you don't seem to vigilant to go see her." 

          Stormy ocean eyes rested on him icily. "I would expect that kind of comment from you. You've obviously never been married. And I don't wonder why. If you'll excuse me." She said brusquely. 

          The former pilots and Odin watched her go. 

          "Where's she off too?" Wufei mumbled. 

          Duo shrugged. "She needs time to cool off and de-stress." 

          "The roof." Quatre said softly. "She went to the roof." 

          Sure enough, five minutes later found Anna leaning against the railing on the roof, glaring over the rooftops of downtown Tokyo. Odin Lowe was the least of her worries, she kept telling herself. They had to figure out a solution to the problem of not having gundams, they had to figure out a solution to the fact that the were short a pilot and two more were severely injured, figure out how to deal with Ryuujin, figure out what happened to Trowa, how to get Zechs back… It never ended. Anna grumbled as the 'Clowns' ring on her phone went off. 

          She flipped it open with a terse, "Maxwell." 

          "I thought you were supposed to be the cheerful one, Anna." 

          "Trowa! Oh my gosh! Where are you? Daijoubu desu ka? How?" 

          The man on the other end of the line actually chuckled. "So many questions, Anna. I'm closer than you think, I'm fine, and modern medicine works wonders." 

          "It must. I've never heard you say a sentence that long before." 

          He laughed again. He sighed, and his tone became it's usual, serious, baritone. "Anna, I have a mission for you." 

          She blinked. "A mission?" 

          "Yes. It would be as a gundam pilot, only sans the gundam. I can pay you two million." 

          Anna felt her jaw hit the floor. "Two million?! Where in the world did you get two million dollars?!?" 

          "Sources, sources everywhere. The mission is this: Seek out Ryuujin the Half-Dragon, and kill him." 

          Anna sat on the ledge, the railing against her back. "Kill Ryuujin." She echoed. 

          "Yes. I understand if you don't want to take it. It could damage your relationship with Chase." 

          "I'll do it." 

          "Are you sure?" 

          "Trowa, he attacked her tonight. I don't have a choice. I'd rather her be alive and never forgive me, than her be dead and me guilty for all of eternity." She felt him stiffen as she talked. 

          "How bad?" 

          "Bad enough. Broke a rib, bruises, cuts. She won't be awake until morning, but she'll live. Trowa, I'm sorry. About everything before." 

          Trowa smiled softly. "Yeah. Me too. More than you can imagine." He paused. "Anna, about Jack…" 

          "He's perfectly okay. He's extremely devoted to you. He got your message, though. I assume you found out he was alive through Meg." 

          "No, by prying through files trying to get info on Ryuujin. Jack came up as a patient of Meg's, though, before his files switched to you. I'm grateful, to you both." 

          "Thank Meg, she's the one who smuggled the drug in from L2. He's a great kid. He's got a lot of potential." 

          "That he does." 

          "When do you want me to execute the mission?" 

          "As soon as possible. I don't know the details, but I do know he was assigned a mission earlier this evening. I don't know if he accepted it before or after he attacked Chase. I'd like you to stop him before he gets his claws in anyone else." 

          "I'll get on it right away. I can have him by sunrise." 

          "Are you sure?" 

          "Have I ever been wrong?" 

          "No, not in matters like these." 

          "I didn't think so." 

          "All right. I'll pick you up once you've completed this mission. We have other things to discuss. That is, if you'll have me back as a comrade and pilot in arms." 

          "I wouldn't have it any other way." 

          "Thanks." 

          "You got it." 

          "I'll see you soon, then." 

          "Yeah. Bye." 

          "Good luck." 

          There was a click, and Anna hung up her phone. She forced a dark grin onto her face. This wasn't going to be easy. It wouldn't be easy to kill him, or deal with the consequences after. Ryuujin's death would anger Drizzik, sadden Chase, and throw a definite loop in Trinity's plan. But Trowa was right. He was a threat, and he had to be dealt with. She planned to change quickly inside, and then head out. She had a lot of ground to cover if she was to find him by dawn. 

          Anna went back to the waiting area before she left, this time wearing the trademark black outfit of her piloting days. Odin Lowe had left, she noted, not terribly disappointed. 

          Duo stood when he saw her. "What's up?" 

          "I have an…errand to run. I'll be back in the morning." She said softly.

          "It's dangerous." Duo said grimly. 

          Anna smirked. "Of course. But don't worry." 

          Duo kissed her softly. "Be careful." He said quietly. 

          "Always." She whispered. "You boys take care. I'll see you in the morning." She said to Wufei and Quatre, who had politely ignored the exchange between husband and wife. 

          Wufei nodded.

          Quatre smiled. "See you." 

          Anna headed out into the night.

          She stood on the nearest street corner, eyes closed, breathing even. She had to sense him, feel out a direction, a motion, anything. Otherwise, this was a hopeless undertaking. She didn't time to track him down electronically, so she had to do it by intuition. 

          /Where are you?/ 

          _Here…_

Anna opened her eyes, startled, before she realized what happened. He knew she was hunting him. He wanted her to come. 

          /There./ 

          _Come on…_

          She started running. 

          /What am I going to tell Chase?/

          _Chase won't need to be told…_

/What about your brother?/

          _Not my problem…_

          "Typical." Anna muttered. 

          She felt the air change, as she got closer. They were near the water, close to the docks. He was there, in the shadows, just watching. She would have to make the challenge. 

          "You know why I'm here." She called. 

          "I do." Ryuujin said, his voice distorted so she couldn't place him. 

          "I challenge you, Ryuujin, in a duel to the death." She said firmly. 

          "I'll kill you." He said, and she could hear the grin in his voice. 

          "Yeah, you can try." Anna called back, grinning herself. 

          "But, dost thou have the weaponry to fight me, fair Anna, friend of my heart's betrayer?" 

          "You know perfectly well I lost the sword when we got sent back." Anna said, ignoring his dramatics. 

          "Well then. We'll have to fix that, won't we?" Ryuujin shifted in the darkness. 

          Anna heard the scrape of metal against metal and whirled just in time to catch the hilt of the sword that was thrown to her. She twirled it to get her grip and nodded. "You found it." 

          "Wufei gave it to me. He found it in your things after they sent you back." 

          "You know I won't decapitate you. That's beyond my ability to quench my sense of human decency." Anna warned. 

          "But can you kill me any other way?" 

          "You know I can."

          "But not with a sword." 

          "Not with a sword. But we're too good of friends for me to make this quick, even if that's what you deserve for attack her." 

          "She deserved to be attacked. I have no heart for her now. She made a fool out of me." 

          "That doesn't mean you betray all of us." 

          "Blood is thicker than water, if you hadn't heard." 

          "Whose blood, Ryuu?" 

          He laughed, soft and dark. "Touché." 

          The first slice was not entirely unexpected, and she blocked it with little difficulty. She backed up until they were both in the light. Ryuujin, like her, was donned in black, his blue hair loose and wild, his eyes a pale red. 

          "You're fighting it." Anna murmured. 

          "I have no honest desire for your blood." 

          "It would hurt her." 

          "Yes. It will." 

          Anna knew he wasn't talking about her. She parried the next attack, and the next before she had to move again. 

          "It's over, Anna. I have no heart." 

          "I see." She nodded. "So be it." She attacked. 

_I found out on a late night drive_

_In my winter coat, with my blood shot eyes_

          "It doesn't have to be this way." She murmured, leaping back as the swings became angrier. 

          "Yes. It does." 

          Anna bit her lip as his eyes got darker. She hardly noticed when they hit the actual docks, the concrete becoming wooden slats, and the noise of the water lapping reached them. She swung forward and turned, hoping to catch him in the arm, only to find that he had anticipated the move and instead caught her across the shoulder. She stumbled and fell. 

"You don't fight the same." Ryuujin growled, lunging after her. 

          Anna rolled swiftly, grabbing her sword as she went, catching him in mid lunge. The sword pierced through his chest, on the opposite side of his heart, halting his attack. 

          "I'm not the same woman, now am I?" Anna replied, ripping the sword back. 

          Ryuujin staggered, blood spilling onto his clothes and onto the docks. "No. Neither am I the same man." 

          Anna shook her head. "No, you're not." 

          Ryuujin hefted his sword and they circled each other carefully.

          "It's sad, really. Some people choose to be alone. Some of us don't want it, but life deals it to us anyway. But maybe I deserve it. So much blood…" He said, eyes hollow, but full of red. 

          "Then I deserve it. We all do." Anna said, frowning. "Everyone who fought in a war. Anyone who draws breath. Nobody's perfect, but that doesn't mean anyone deserves that. You still have a chance." 

          "Quit trying, Anna. I've chosen my fate." 

          "I have to try. She'll be upset, and you're my friend too." 

_My faith ain't been no friend to me_

_And the way I sin is hanging off of me _

          Anna cried out as rage flooded him and he forced his attacks again. She blocked from the left, the right, front, left…It was a never ending barrage off attacks. He finally struck her again and sent her flying. 

          "I don't give a damn if she's upset!" he cried. "What did she ever do for me? What? She never really loved me. Cared about me as a friend, maybe, but she didn't love me. Used me like the fool I was. Just like Barton. I only killed him because he got in the way of my revenge. Loyalty is overrated, Anna. You don't do anyone any good if you're dead, whether you're dead because of loyalty, stupidity, or love." 

          "She tired, Ryuu. You don't choose who you love. She let you go…" 

          "That's a lie and you know it. Chase never lets go. She didn't let me go, and she didn't let Barton go. It never ends." 

          "Ryuu…" 

          "Get up." 

          "Ryuu…" 

          "Get up or I end it now!" 

          Anna snarled something under her breath and stood, sword glinting in the moonlight. 

          Ryuujin laughed. "There she is. There's the fighter I remember. Come on, you can do better than this. We'll be here for the next hundred years if you don't speed things up." 

          "Shut up." Anna spat. "This isn't easy, Ryuu. I can't let you live because you're a threat to her and to everyone now. You hurt her. But for the love, Ryuu, I cared about you too." 

          Ryuujin lifted an eyebrow.

          "You know perfectly well I mean that in the most platonic way possible…" 

          He grinned before shrugging. "Sorry, Anna. I have no regrets about it. I can't have regrets about it." 

          Anna grit her teeth and gathered her energy before springing to the side and lunging the sword at him from the left. 

          He blocked, and leapt back onto a higher platform, Anna hot on his heels. She swung again and again, forcing him further and further back until came back with equal strength fueled by his fury. 

_And I'm sorry you can't take me anywhere_

_Pretty soon we're almost there, baby one more night _

_It's been a long, long drive_

_And I'm way, way tired_

_I don't need no back-up plan_

          All across the docks they fought, from the south end up to the north, neither relenting nor backing down. Ryuujin was slowly letting go of the reason he had left, and Anna knew she was quickly running out of time. She had been taught well how to handle a sword, but she was no match for Ryuujin when he was like that. Ryuujin laughed as she hit him, and swung back as if she hadn't ever touched him. 

          "Do you think I'll be missed?" He asked, leering at her. 

          "I don't know. You want to be missed?" Anna shot back, blocking him. 

          "Doesn't everyone? Maybe a part of me did. I don't know if he exists any more." Ryuujin said. "Not that I'd miss him." 

          "Well then, maybe a part of you'd be missed. I can't speak for anyone else." 

          "You could speak for her. You do often enough, like she does for you." He sneered. 

          "Maybe you wouldn't like the answer." 

          "Maybe I don't care." 

          "You hate her?" 

          "No. I loathe you both." 

_I don't want nobody_

_Nobody don't want me_

_I'm so sad, so lonely_

_But I'm always landing on my feet_

          "Why do you loathe me? I never did anything to you." Anna said, clashing together with him as they struggled for dominance. 

          "That's why I loathe you. You could have convinced her." 

          Anna half laughed. "To what? Love you? Hardly. Chase is extremely stubborn, which is something I think you well know. Besides, I would never convince her to do something that wouldn't make her happy. Some things just can't be, Ryuujin. Everyone has to make sacrifices." 

          "What happens when you sacrifice everything and get nothing? You're left hollow." Ryuujin growled, winning the struggle and shoving her back.

          Anna regained her footing and brushed her bangs off her forehead. "Then you find something to fill it. You keep looking." 

          "So positive. It might be an admirable trait if it wasn't fatal. Your friend Barton was positive, too. Positive that what he was doing would make a difference. Look what it got him. He's dead, and before he died his little pet died too." 

          Anna smirked. "Jack's alive." 

          Ryuujin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? Your doctor friend started meddling with things, did she?" 

          "Oh yes. Meg's very forward thinking. She's positive too. Positive that both Jack and Trowa will make full recoveries." 

          The red eyes narrowed at her. "What?" 

          "You heard me." 

          "How?" he hissed. 

          "The drug that brought Duo and Heero back." 

          "And you helped with it." 

          "Yes." 

          Ryuujin gave an outcry and viciously attacked her. Anna was thrown off guard and her sword was knocked out of her hand as Ryuujin forced her to the ground. She had no choice but to grab the blade to keep it away from her throat. 

          "Then I guess I'll have to settle with your blood for my revenge." Ryuujin snarled. 

          "I can't die. Not here." Anna gasped. 

          "Why not?" 

          "I'm not the only one whose life is on the line." She cried out and shoved him up far enough to roll out of the way as his sword came crashing back down. 

          She desperately grabbed the hilt of her sword and drove it upwards behind her. She heard Ryuujin gasp and turned so she was facing him. She'd caught him in the chest, almost perpendicular to the wound she'd inflicted earlier. 

_One more time, with a sad, sad smile_

_And your white bread friends_

_In the circus life_

          She ripped it back and forced herself not to grimace at the sight of all the blood. "You're slipping, Ryuu." 

          He laughed darkly. "Remember when I first started teaching you. Didn't think you'd last the week. You were hysterical trying to fight with this type of sword like you would fight with a katana or a French blade. But you learned. You might survive against my brother if he decides to come after you." 

          "He's all ready promised me a fight on the battlefield, so I guess we'll find out." Anna said. 

          "She was so sweet…strong and vulnerable all at the same time. Made me want to give up everything to protect her. Turns out I needed the protection. She can take care of herself after all." Ryuujin said, eyes becoming distant. 

          "She did love you." 

          Ryuujin smiled momentarily before it became a dark smirk. "I know. It doesn't matter now, does it? Thought she could fix everything if she smiled long enough. Thought she could love everybody equally. Doesn't happen." 

          "No, it doesn't always. But people aren't born knowing that life's unfair. We have to learn by experience. Some of us never stop trying to make life equal for everyone." 

          "Well she's happy now. That's all that matters, isn't it?" 

_All the one way rides_

_The sweet beginners _

_Passing on the left-hand side_

_With a sideways smile _

          "Yeah. That's all that matters." 

          They were moving faster, almost a blur to anyone who might have seen them. Back and forth, block and parry, until Anna thought neither one of them would get the advantage. She wished with all her heart that there was something she could say; something she could do or tell him that would make things different. He had chosen his path, though, and she had chosen hers. There wasn't anything else to be done. 

Ryuujin gained the upper hand and Anna felt the sword tear through the flesh on her shoulder. She bit her lip to keep from crying out and fell back into a defensive stance. 

          They eyed each other warily, each knowing that one false step could be their undoing. 

          "Would you really kill me, Ryuujin?" Anna asked. 

          "Yes. With relish." 

          She nodded. 

          They were moving again, faster and faster along the dock. Anna moved back half a step, switching the sword from her right hand to her left as she went and pulling out her fan in the same fluid motion. In the next breath she'd flung it open and sent the darts plunging into Ryuujin's skin, causing him to falter, which gave her the opening that she needed to turn the fan in her hand and fling the dagger side of it at him. It caught him in the hand, making him drop his sword. 

          Ryuujin cringed and Anna attacked with her sword again, making sure he didn't have room to reach his. 

_And I'm always one step from stalling _

_Bad trips can make great stories _

_Dance all night, with your ass on fire_

_And your hands up high, feel me one more time_

          Anna made the mistake of thinking she finally had him cornered as she pinned him to the ground in a position not unlike the one he'd had her in moments before. She had her sword against his throat and for a brief second he quit struggling against her, went limp, and shut his eyes. 

          She firmed her grip, not quite sure what he was doing. "Ryuujin?" She asked. She moved one hand around to her waistband to pull out her magnum. 

          Blood red eyes opened and he smiled coolly at her. "Yes?" He pulled his arms up, blue energy balled in his hands and shoved his attack against her chest. 

_I don't want nobody_

_Nobody don't want me_

_I'm so sad, so lonely_

_But I'm always landing on me feet_

          Anna fought to gasp as the wind was knocked out of her when she hit the wall behind her. "Crap…" She managed, trying to pull herself together. 

          "Careless, careless, Anna-chan. You know I'm not everything that I appear to be. I'm not like Victor. You can't just straddle me and blow my brains out. Thought it'd be that easy, eh?" 

          "Nothing about you was ever easy. If you weren't trying to jump me because of one personality, you were trying to kill me with this one. Or if you were normal you were brooding. Trying to kill you is not defined by easy in my book." 

          "Good. Then you won't make that mistake again." 

          Anna grinned. "No. I won't." 

          "No wonder you were picked to pilot a gundam. You're a fast learner." 

          "Yes I am." 

          "You're a good assassin." 

          "Damn straight." 

          Ryuujin laughed. "Too bad I couldn't learn that fast. I might have lived longer." 

_I learn to love myself_

_And I don't need no one else_

_And when a love moves on 'cause it gets cold_

_Then another moves in and it can fill the hole_

"So Anna, tell me," Ryuujin said, gathering energy in his palms again, "What _are _you going to tell Chase? Because if what you say is true, and she loves me, she's not going to be too happy with you. I mean, history has shown that girls who kill their best friends ex-lovers usually don't wind up with a fantastic relationship on their hands." 

          "I somehow think that's the last of my problems right now." Anna grumbled, trying to figure out how she was going to distract him long enough to get her sword back. 

          "But you are concerned about it, aren't you? It could end your friendship." He pressed, wanting her reaction. 

          Anna sighed. "Look you, like I told Trowa, I would rather her hate me than be dead. And if you live any longer, you won't be able to stop yourself the next time. I can't let you hurt her." 

          "I didn't realize you'd kill for her." 

          "I've done it before. Hell, I gave up my son for her once. I'm not sure it gets more loyal than that." 

          "It was a waste, too. You should have stayed. Both of you. I could have had her, married her, long before Heero Yuy showed up again. Just think, you'd be happily wed to Wufei with a house, a dog in the yard, a white picket fence and two point five children by now." Ryuujin said with a sneer. 

          She rolled her eyes and rolled as he released the attack. Anna grabbed the hilt and landed back on her feet, deflecting a second release with the blade. She brushed her bangs back. 

          "I don't like white picket fences." She deadpanned. 

          "You could always change it. You've got the laptop. You could go back and change the whole thing, Anna. Save them the first time, save your son. You could go back further, too. Maybe not come at all." He said darkly. 

          "Then I'd be no better than Trinity and her plans. You don't fight the past, Ryuujin, you plan for the future, no matter what that holds." 

          "I'll never…" 

          "No." 

_I'm one more hopeful lying on the bedroom floor_

          Anna blocked another throw and Ryuujin jumped back to keep from being impaled again, grabbing his sword as he went. His eyes were still red, but Anna could tell he had lost his enthusiasm. He was hardly even trying to block her, he was hardly trying to keep her from hitting him. 

          "You giving up?" She challenged, pushing him back. 

          "What can I say?" He whispered. 

_No sense trying when the whole thing drops_

          She gained momentum as he fought less and less until she finally knocked his sword away. Anna fought to keep her nerves steady and she had just let go of her sword to reach for her magnum when he fell forward, gripping her shoulders with both hands, dragging them close together. Anna gasped, and he brought their faces close together. 

          "Promise me something." 

          "Eh?" 

          "Take care of her." 

          "I promise." 

          "Take care of my sword." 

          She sweatdropped. "I promise." 

          "Oh, and one more thing." 

          "What's that?" 

          He brought his lips close to her ear. "Take care of yourself." He whispered. Blue light coursed through him and enveloped him, and Anna gasped as he suddenly transfused his energy into her. Then he shoved her away and built up a destructive force in a last ditch effort to kill her.

_You lose your nerve_

          Anna hesitated for only a second, but in the end was faster, and had her magnum in her hand in a split second. Six shots rang out, sending him staggering back, grinning like a maniac. 

          "What were you supposed to do after this?" She demanded softly. 

          "Why does that matter?" he asked raggedly. 

          "Because what you don't finish, your brother will." 

          He laughed, blood spilling from his lips. "Poor Zechs. Loosing his little kiddos. But maybe…you'll find them…in time…" 

          Anna nodded, and rage flooded his eyes for the last time. Her final shot, the seventh, rang out, piercing his skull and he froze, still grinning. The grin faded, as did the red from his eyes. Slowly his gaze became emptier, and emptier, but for the briefest of moments Anna saw the clear blue gaze of the man she had been a friend with. He smiled and nodded as he hit his knees, before his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell to the dock, dead.

_I hope you get what you deserve…_

          She knelt by him and for a second touched his forehead. "I will mourn you later, tamadachi. For now, all I can do is keep my promises as I make them." 

          Anna stood and gathered both swords. A sigh escaped from between her lips as the promise of sunlight began to filter over the horizon. She forced herself to steel her heart against the ache that threatened to take her over. Ryuujin's death would be something that would lay heavy on her heart for a long time. 

          "Say goodbye." She whispered. She started walking. 

_Yeah, I don't want nobody_

_And nobody don't want me_

_I'm so sad, so lonely_

          A limo pulled up at the end of the dock and Anna headed for it, knowing who would be there. She opened the back door and slid into the seat, pulling the door shut behind her. She smiled warmly. 

          "Trowa-kun." 

          "Thanks seems rather inappropriate, Anna-chan." 

          She shrugged. "We'll deal with it later. It's good to see you." 

          Trowa nodded as they drove away. "It's good to see you, too. After I show you the safe house that Lady Une's set up for us, I do have a one more favor to ask of you…" 

          "Name it." 

          "Tomorrow afternoon, would you bring Jack to me? I need to see Quatre first, but it would be easier…" 

          Anna cut him off. "Not a problem." She smiled. "He'll be glad to see you." 

          Trowa smiled at her. There was a long moment, and Trowa squeezed her shoulder. She squeezed his hand in return, and the rest of the trip was rode in silence. Tomorrow would bring its own troubles.

_But I'm always landing on my feet. _

Author's Notes: Hiya, ya'll!! Yes, gasp, shock, the death of Ryuujin, and by Anna's hand no less. (And no, we won't be resurrecting everyone in this fic…give us a break.) The song is "So Sad, So Lonely" and is a bonus track on the Matchbox Twenty album "More Than You Think You Are". I'm plugging it, yes. Go buy it. Now. ^^ At any rate, feel free to let us know what you think! Email us, review it, whatever makes you happy! Hope you enjoyed! Ja for now!


	57. To Live a Fairytale

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: To Live a Fairytale**

        Quiet rain pattered outside in a steady stream and emerald eyes watched it solemnly.  

        "How long have you been awake?"

        She didn't have to turn and see whom it was to know her husband's voice.  "Not long. The news was on when I woke."

        "Hmm?"  Heero's eyes turned up towards the television screen where the reported had news of the death of a young man.  Approximately 6'3'' with blue eyes and hair. He had no form of identification on him, and appeared to have been shot seven times.  No further news was known.

        "Seven times," Chase mumbled.  "I wonder why she wasn't more discrete."

        Heero shrugged.  "I'd suggest you don't ask."

        "And why not?" 

        "Because you need to rest."

        Chase snorted.

        Anna entered the waiting room without so much as a word.  She walked strait to Quatre and whispered something in his ear.  He gave a startled gasp.  "Are you sure?" he managed.

        "I'm not wrong."

        He nodded. "Oh! Chase should be awake.  Heero's in with her."

        "I assumed as much."

        "CHASE!" a frustrated yell came from down the hall.  The doors were flung open and Chase Yuy stepped through them, buttoning the last button on her shirt and running thin fingers through her hair.  Heero followed behind her, looking frustrated and worried, two emotions that looked foreign to his pale features.  "You're suppose to-"

        "So are you, boyo, but I don't see you lying in any hospital bed," she snapped.  She turned to emerald eyes on Anna.  "Hello."

        "Good morning."

        "You did it."

        "I did."

        Chase watched her for a moment, emotions playing through her eyes and threatening to move to her impassive face.  She took a breath as if to say something, but bit her tongue and moved past the group. A couple of nurses started to reach out and stop her, but were shaken off by the glare they received.  "Isn't she?" they began, but Heero shook his head, telling them to drop the matter.

        The petite pilot had no patience to wait for the elevator, but stormed down the stairwell.  Her mind was in turmoil, along with her heart.  It had all come so quickly.  Ryuujin… What had been wrong with him to make him attack her?  Why would he do that?  What mission had he been mumbling about during their fight?  None of it made sense.  None of it fit together.  She let out a frustrated yell and slammed her fist into the wall of the stairwell.  "BAKA!" she screamed, flinging the door open at the bottom.

        No one stopped her as she walked out of the hospital.  No one dared.  She walked out into the open, headless of the rain that poured around her.  She turned her eyes heavenward and felt herself shiver.  "Baka…" she whispered again, falling to the pavement on her knees and wrapping her arms around her own shoulders.  "Doshite…?  Why would you do such a thing?  And why would Anna-chan-"

        "Because she was protecting you."

        Chase turned two emerald eyes back to where Heero was standing.  His hair was plastered around his face, which was still far too pale, and his eyes held a swarm of emotions in them, all of these feelings for her.  He knelt next to her, brushing the wetness from her face.  He would have ventured to think that it was part tears mixed with rain.

        "I don't understand it," she whispered as he pulled her close and helped her stand.  They started down the street, Chase locked in her husband's protective embrace.  "Why are we all at each other's throats, Heero?  Ryu killed Trowa, then Anna killed Ryu…  Why?  Why does it have to be like this?"

        Heero gave her a small, sympathetic smile. "You were always idealistic, Chase-chan," he said quietly.  "You always wanted it to come out right. This world… Either of them… Neither are paradises.  It's not a dream or a fairytale, it's war."  

"But you're here, so that has to say something for a fairytale, doesn't it?"

He stopped and pulled her close, careful not to hurt her already injured ribcage.  "Yes, I suppose it does," he said after a long while.

Chase nodded, holding tightly to his coat.  "Is it weak to cry over someone you loved?"

"No," Heero answered.  "It would be weak to do otherwise."

The couple looked up as the rain stopped falling around them.  Their eyes found an umbrella overhead, and Odin Lowe chuckled from behind them.  "Hello there," he said.  "I see you're feeling better, Elise."

"A bit."

"I see you probably know about your friend."

"Yes…"

He gave her a small smile. "Don't worry, kiddo, you will all pull out of this.  That's why you are who you are.  You're brave and you're strong."  He winked at the young pilot.  "C'mon, love birds," he said.  "You're both going to catch cold and be of no use at all."

Chase managed a smile as she stepped forward and gave Odin a hug.  "Domo arigato," she whispered.  

"Anyway," Odin continued as they started back to the hospital, "I think there's a friend of yours and you who need to clear some air between you."

No one had moved since the Yuys had left.  Quatre looked relieved when they walked in and smiled.  "They're never going to help either of you again," he chided softly.

"Let's hope we don't return to the hospital any time soon," Heero answered.

Chase stepped forward.  "Anna…"

The taller woman nodded towards the stairwell and they entered.  The sound of the door clicking shut was the only sound for a good minute or two as they stood there in silence.  Finally Chase sighed. "I… I don't hate you, you know," she said after a long pause.  "I could never really hate you.  I'm just…"

"Grieving," Anna finished.

"Yes," her friend answered quietly.  "And I'm tired, Anna-chan.  Why are we killing each other off when we should be going for the new threat?"

"Because Trinity Barton is using us against each other."  Anna's features softened slightly.  "Things will get better, after it's over and done with."

Chase nodded and fell back against the wall, sliding down it with a loud sigh.  "How many more will we loose in the process?"

"No more," Anna said firmly. "We will loose no one else.  I won't stand for it.  Will you?  Why are you just sitting there, Chase?  Wallow in this misery after we're done, but until then we are Gundam pilots and we should act as such. We are who we are for a reason."

Chase chuckled at this and looked up.  Anna always had known how to get her going.

"What is it?" Anna growled with an indignant look on her face.

Chase smiled broadly as her friend helped her up.  "Odin said the same thing, about us being who we are for a reason."

The taller pilot's eyes widened. "That idiot came back?!" she growled. "Oh… the nerve of him… Where is he?"

The Destined Soldier laughed. "Downstairs. Dying to see him?"

"Hell no!"

"Ha! He's not so bad!"

"He is! Argh…" She stopped, noticing the change of Chase's expression.  The small woman had grown quiet and the light nature had left a serious one in its place. "Ne… Chase-chan?"

Chase reached forward suddenly and hugged her elder friend.  There was a slight sob from the smaller pilot, but when she pulled away she was smiling, even though tears ran down her face.  "Anna-chan, gomen ne…" She sniffed and ran her hand along her eyes.  "Arigato." 

Anna smiled a bit, returning the embrace.  "Mou daijoubu," she answered softly.  "Gambatte ne, Chase-chan. We'll get through this all."

The small pilot nodded. "Hai. And then we can live that fairytale, ne?"

"Ehh?" the elder woman asked. "What fairytale?"

Chase shook her head. "It's nothing, just a promise I'm making to myself.  We'll see."  She smiled again.  "Let's go.  We can't spend all day reminiscing about everything that's gone wrong. We should fix things now so they go right."

Anna grinned. "Welcome back, tamadachi."

"Hai. Good to be back in action."  

"Zechs is being held here," Heero said as scrolled through the files he'd hacked into.  "My plan is this: Chase and I will go in with Gundams and take the front that way.  Duo and Anna should take the back door of sorts, and sneak in."

"I'll take the position at the computers," Quatre said as he stood from his spot.  "But that leaves Wufei."

"Wufei should take the Tallgese," Heero said simply.

"No, he shouldn't," Anna answered before the Chinese man had time to protest.  She gave him a knowing smile.  "Fei-chan should come with Duo and I, I think.  We'll need him on the ground more than you will in the Gundams."

Chase nodded, catching her drift that her husband would probably ignore.  "That sounds like the plan, then."

"I'll do what I can to help Quatre," Odin said.

Chase grinned at him.  "You've been so quiet I almost forgot you were there.  Too bad you don't pilot mechas, ne? You could take the Tallgese."

Odin shook his head in protest.  "I do not pilot Gundams. I leave that to the experts."

"Then it's settled," Heero said as he stood.  He looked around at the group.  "We will have complete radio silence until I contact you to do otherwise."

"Right," everyone answered him in chorus and left for their jobs as had been stated.  

Chase stayed behind, tugging on her husband's jacket.  "You think Zechs'll be all right?"

"Of course he will be."

She smiled and embraced him.  "Aishitaru, Heero," she whispered.

He allowed a small smile to grace his thin lips.  "Aishitaru, Chase-chan.  Itsumo."

A/N: Gomen to Anna-chan for the long wait on this not so long chapter. ^^;;; My laptop crashed and I had to rewrite it all. Blah… That and finals… Evil school. Evil English class. 

Enjoy ^^ 

Oh! "Itsumo" means "forever" or "always" to anyone who doesn't know.  Lol, my favorite Japanese phrase ^_~


	58. To the Edge of Forever

**Chapter Fifty-eight: To the Edge of Forever **

        The building rocked from side to side with the impact of the outside attacks, which was no easy feat since the stronghold was built into the side of a cliff. 

        "They trying to kill us too?" Duo grumbled, breaking into one of the last rooms on their floor. 

        "Maybe it's Chase's revenge." Wufei said dryly, checking the last room. "This floor is clear. Zechs has to be on one of the next two." 

        Anna's voice buzzed over the intercom. "First of all, that wasn't funny. Second of all, did either of you check for a basement?" Silence greeted her. "That's what I thought. And you call yourselves gundam pilots. Get your lazy butts down there while I check these top floors." 

        "Yes ma'am." Duo and Wufei called back, grinning at each other. 

        They took off towards their exit downwards, Duo choosing the elevator shaft and Wufei taking the stairwell. Both routes were equally dangerous considering the movement of the building, and the guards they bypassed by coming in the back. 

        Anna pressed herself against the wall on the sixth floor, but the entire passageway was dark and all the doors were open. "07 to base." She whispered into her comm. 

        "Base here." Quatre replied. 

        "I need a life form check on the top two levels of this rock." She said, scanning around. She just had a sneaking suspicion…

        "Just a minute." Quatre said, frowning. He set up the heat sensors to track just the top two floors, and his frown deepened when the results came back. "I'm only getting a reading on one life form, 07, and I'm assuming that's you." 

        "Damn. They're not here." Anna growled. "Thanks, Base. 07 out." 

        "No problem. Base out."

        Anna switched channels just as a flurry of sound exploded from her speaker. "That would have been bad if there had been guards up here…" She murmured. She hit the talk button. "You guys okay down there?" 

        Duo's cheerful voice greeted her. "Just taking out a couple of strays, Tenshi. Oh, and we found the target." 

        Anna brushed dust out of her hair as the ceiling started to crack. "Make it quick, would ya, guys? This place isn't going to hold out much longer." 

        "No kidding." 

        "Can you guys handle this?" Anna asked, pulling her laptop out of her bag.

        "Absolutely. Where are you off too?" 

        "I have to find something." Anna replied. 

        Wufei's voice echoed after Duo's. "We'll be fine. We'll contact the others and get Milliardo out of here." 

        "Thanks guys. Take care." 

        "You too." 

        Quatre frowned as Anna's signal vanished from his screen, and did not reappear anywhere in the range of the scanner. "Base to 02." He called. 

        Duo and Wufei were making their escape out of the basement, the unconscious Milliardo Peacecraft supported between them. 

        Duo managed to grab his communicator link. "02 here. What's up?" 

        "What happened to your other half?" 

        "07 went to find something. We've got it covered. We can't get a signal through to the mechas, though. Would you call and tell them we've retrieved the target?" 

        "Sure thing." 

        "Thanks." 

        Quatre reached over to a switch and opened a channel to Chase. 

        "Base to 06." 

        "What?" Chase answered, frowning when part of the building she hit didn't collapse. 

        Quatre smiled faintly. "Same old you. 02 and 05 have reached the target and are in the process of escaping." 

        "What happened to 07?" Chase asked, glancing up at Quatre's image on one of her side screens.

        Quatre shrugged. "02 said 07 went to find something. That's all I know. Base out." 

        Chase frowned again. "Where did you go, Anna-chan?" 

        Heero's face appeared where Quatre's had just been. "What's going on?" 

        Chase looked up at him. "They got Milliardo and they're leaving. Once they're out we'll destroy the place. Anna-chan; however, has gone off to find something." 

        "She abandoned the mission?" 

        "I don't think that's…" 

        Quatre's frantic voice and face appeared below Heero's. "Watch out! There's a whole battalion of Aries coming out of the south!" 

        Chase and Heero whirled around just in time to come face to face with at least thirty Aries, all of them already charged for attack. 

        "Crap! Where the hell did these things come from?" Chase growled, drawing the scythes on the Sandrock. 

        "I don't know." Quatre said, quickly throwing up all sensors in every direction. "They didn't show up on the radar until they were right on you. It was almost as if they were cloaked." 

        "Wonderful." Chase muttered, destroying two with a swing of her blades. 

        Heero speared two with the Zero's laser sword. "Trinity must have developed cloaking technology while we were busy thinking we had everything under control."

        "Hai. You should have been paying more attention." Chase teased, taking out three more. 

        _"Wufei, move! Get out of there! Wu…" _

        Chase glanced up, startled. "Duo?" 

        _"Maxwell! Watch out! Duo!" _

"It's Duo and Wufei. Their signals must be cutting across ours. It doesn't sound good." Heero said, concern masked in his voice. 

        There was a moment of more shouting before a loud explosion filled the air, and the majority of the building collapsed, bringing half the cliff with it. 

        Heero instantly switched channels. "Duo? Duo! 02, answer me!" 

        Chase also switched over. "Wufei, daijoubu? What's happening?" she called. 

        There was no response from the ground team. Apparently the remaining Aries were satisfied with this, and began retreating immediately. The two gundams paid them no heed and landed near the explosion site. 

        Heero hit the ground first and yanked his gun out, sprinting for the remainder of the building. Chase was on his heels, castor propped against her shoulder as she ran behind him. 

        "You guys are clear. I'm not picking up any enemy readings." Quatre said into their headsets. 

        "Tell me you're picking up Duo and Wufei's signals." Heero replied. 

        "I…" Quatre hesitated. 

        "Quatre!" Heero barked. 

        "I'm only picking up three life readings. You and Chase make up for two of those." 

        Heero cursed under his breath. 

        They made their way through the rubble as quickly as possible, not trusting the other half of the building to stay rooted to the cliff for a long period of time. Chase took one end of the basement and Heero took the other. 

        "Heero, you're almost on the signal. Keep moving straight ahead." 

        "Right." Heero said, moving in that direction. A split second later, he saw a hand with the wrist covered by a white and black cuff. "Duo!" he called, rushing forward. 

        He fell to his knees, pulling rocks and rubble off the form as quickly as he could. Duo groaned as most of the debris was pulled off him. 

        "Heero?" he asked, trying not to cough. 

        Heero ran his hands along Duo's face and neck to check for injuries before helping him sit up. "I'm right here. Are you all right?" 

        "Yeah… I'm okay…" He grumbled. "Damn OWN soldiers. Zapped in with the laptop technology, surrounded and attacked us. We didn't have a chance in hell. And that's where most of my chances come from anyway." 

        Chase made her way over when she saw that Duo had been found. "What happened to Wufei, boyo? He isn't…" 

        "No. They took him and Zechs both. Tried to get me too, but I've had about enough of them, thank you very much." 

        "Where the hell was Anna?" Heero demanded. "She should have been here in case something like this happened. Which it did." 

        "Relax, Heero. There's not a whole lot she could have done anyway. She left, said she had to find something." 

        It was plain by the look on his face that Heero was not happy with conclusion of the mission. "Let's head back to the safe house. We're done here." 

        Anna could hear them above her, below her, and in the rooms around her as she silently stalked the halls of the abandoned Peacecraft mansion. She'd all ready come across several bodies, most likely servants that the OWN soldiers had deemed not useful. She hadn't given up all hope; however, because if the soldiers were still here, that meant they hadn't found the children yet. 

        She held her magnum level to her shoulder, and slipped into a room that had been searched and left. Anna lowered the weapon slightly. It had been the nursery that Noin was preparing for her third child. Anna sighed. 

        "What a waste." She murmured. Suddenly she felt cold, like someone was watching her. She slowly turned around and saw two ice blue eyes peering out at her from the closet. Anna tilted her head and moved forward. 

        The eyes went wide and vanished into the darkness of the closet, and Anna could here a small gasp. She knelt by the closet door and gently pulled it back. 

        "I won't hurt you." She said softly. "I'm a friend of your mother and father." 

        He looked at her hard. "You're the lady in the pictures." He said finally. 

        Anna nodded. "That was a long time ago." 

        "You belonged with Uncle Duo-kun, right?" 

        Anna laughed softly. "That's right. Still do. I'm Anna." 

        The boy moved close to her and held out his hand. "I'm Ethan." 

        Anna shook it and smiled. "I'm glad I found you. I was afraid I was too late." 

        Ethan shook his head. "They've been here for almost an hour. They don't know all the passages that Marq and I do. We've been avoiding them the best we can, but I lost Marq when he told me to stay here. He said he'd come back for me, but he never did." 

        She patted his shoulder. "We'll find him. Come on." 

        Ethan grabbed Anna's hand as they headed back towards the hallway. 

        "Where did you come from?" Ethan whispered as they edged along, looking for signs of the elder Peacecraft boy. 

        "Not too far away." Anna whispered back. 

        "Do you think we'll find Marq?" He whispered, tightening his grip on her hand. 

        "I'm sure of it." Anna whispered back confidently. "In fact…isn't there a passage behind the grandfather clock in the back hall?" 

        Ethan grinned. "Yeah, there is. How'd you know?" 

        Anna smiled. "Long story. Let's go." 

        They went to the staircase, and luckily had a clear enough moment to get down it and hide behind the bottom pillars. Anna motioned to Ethan to stay still while they waited for another moment to get to the clock. 

        "Go!" She hissed. 

        They both made a mad dash for the clock at the end of the hall. Anna slammed into the side of the clock to stop her momentum and started running her hands over it to find the trigger. Ethan's shorter legs made it farther for him to go, and ten feet away from the clock he tripped on the tile and slammed against the floor. 

        "Ethan!" Anna gasped, moving back towards the boy. 

        "Don't!" He exclaimed, shoving himself onto his hands and knees and throwing himself into a somersault. 

        Anna caught him as he rolled against her feet. "Impressive." She said. 

        He grinned. "Thanks." He reached up and pulled the hour hand to five and the minute hand to the nine. The clock swung back and Anna yanked Ethan inside just as the OWN guards swarmed the hall.

        "Well that was close." Anna remarked. 

        Ethan grinned up at her, even though he couldn't see her in the dark. "That was fun." 

        There was an ominous clicking sound from behind them. "Stop where you are. Don't move, or I'll have to shoot you." 

        Ethan rolled his eyes. "Don't be a prat, Marq. It's me, and this is Anna-chan. She's a friend of Mom and Dad's. Anna-chan, this is my brother Marq."   

        Marq swatted his younger brothers head before reaching out to shake her hand. "Marq Peacecraft. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Maxwell." 

        "Please, call me Anna. Mrs. Maxwell makes me feel old." 

        Marq smiled. "Very well. Then you must call me Marq." 

        "Marq it is. Well, Marq and Ethan Peacecraft, shall we get ourselves out of here?" Anna asked. She reached around for her pack.

        "This passage leads to a balcony on the second floor. We could get out that way and head for the ocean. Hopefully they haven't destroyed all our yachts yet." 

        "Don't worry about that. I…" she was cut off as a wave of terror shot down her spine. Her breath quickened and she gripped the laptop. 

        "Anna-chan? Daijoubu?" Ethan asked, touching her shoulder.

        "He's here…" 

        "Who?" Marq asked. 

        "Go! Move, now!" She barked, dragging them down the passage towards the nearest opening. They let themselves be pushed along in front of her. 

        Two seconds later the entire front of the passage and the grandfather clock were blown away in a storm of fire and debris. 

        Anna shoved them down a turn in the passage and whirled around to see what –or who- had done the damage. A tall figure stepped out of the flames, red eyes blazing as bright as the fire around him. 

        "Drizzik…" she breathed. 

        He stared at her through the darkness, hatred burning in his eyes. 

        "Anna-chan… come on. Anna-chan!" Ethan pleaded. 

        "Why is she glowing?" Marq whispered. 

        "I don't know! Anna-chan!" 

        Ethan's final cry brought her out of her daze and she flung open the laptop and brought up the transporting program. "Hold on to me!" She cried. The boys grabbed on and the three of them disappeared in a blinding flash of light as the rest of the passage was engulfed in flame. 

        They reappeared in a deserted hallway almost as large as the one they had left in the Peacecraft manor. Anna sunk her fingers into the forest green carpet and inhaled deeply. 

        "Where are we?" Marq whispered. 

        "That was cool! Can we do that again?" Ethan asked exuberantly. 

        Anna smiled warmly. "Maybe. And we're at the safe house. We built this place for us…so we could always have somewhere to come home too." 

        Marq glanced out the windows. "It's beautiful. We must be miles into the mountains." 

        "We are." 

        They all turned to look down the hall where it turned to the right, where the kitchen and living areas were, Anna remembered. Muffled shouting was emanating from that direction.

        "Sounds like Duo's angry." Anna murmured. She stood, and the boys followed suit. They were puzzled when she headed away from the shouting and towards the opposite end of the hallway. She turned left, walked a ways, and stopped in front of a shut door. She pressed her hands against the door.

        Anna reached for the doorknob, fingers shaking. She grasped the cold metal and turned it, pushing the door open. She sat the laptop down inside the door, and taking a deep breath, stepped inside. 

She gasped, one hand flying to her mouth. 

        The cream colored curtains were still cracked open just like she'd left them, the bed with it's black down comforter and black satin sheets made to perfection just like she'd left it, her jewelry strewn on the nightstand just like she'd left it, the photo of her and Duo on their honeymoon turned down on the dresser was there just like she'd left it. 

_Duo? Oh my God, Duo! What happened? What happened out there?_

She closed her eyes. 

        _No, no, take him to the bedroom. What do you mean you can't do anything? It can't be that bad!_

Tears fell down her face. 

        _Duo, don't leave me…I love you so much…Duo, I haven't told you yet…Duo… _

_        Duo…_

        Anna's eyes flew open as a small hand slipped into her own. "Ethan…" 

        "He died in here, didn't he?" he asked softly, his ice blue eyes gazing at the bed. 

        "Yes. Yes he did." 

        Marq studied his younger brother, but said nothing. 

        "You left something here…" Ethan continued. 

        "I left a lot of things here." 

        "Something that belonged to him…" 

        Anna's gaze left the room and fell on the young boy beside her. "Belonged…" 

        Ethan's gaze cleared and he smiled up at here. "But you have it back now." 

        "What…" 

        They all turned again when they heard the sound of glass breaking in the kitchen. Anna frowned. "You two stay here. I'll be back in a minute." 

        They nodded and she headed back into the hall, the voices becoming louder as she got closer to the source. 

        "It was not her fault! She couldn't have done anything that Wufei or I tried to do!" Duo shouted. 

        "She had the laptop!" Heero shouted back. "She could have gotten the four of you out of there, and we wouldn't still be missing two people. Now we're short another gundam pilot! She screwed up, she should have been there, and she's a failure to the team!" 

        "Don't talk about my wife that way!" Duo growled. 

        "I'll talk about her however I damn well please." Heero shot back. 

        The Asian pilot found himself being leveled halfway across the kitchen as Duo's fist collided with his jaw line. 

        "Duo!" Chase exclaimed. "You're not helping anything!" 

        "You wanna fight with me Maxwell? Huh? You don't have a chance at winning, but I'll fight you." Heero snarled. 

        Duo dragged him into a standing position and landed another punch to Heero's abdomen. "The first was for Anna, and that was for Endless Waltz." He growled, shoving him back. "And you're not worth fighting." He added. He turned to head out of the kitchen, but Heero would have none of it and tackled him from behind. 

        "Duo! Heero! Both of you knock it off!" Chase barked. "Hey! Listen to what I'm saying, boyos!" 

        Anna entered the kitchen just in time to see Heero and Duo fighting it out on the floor. She blinked, and looked at Chase who simply threw her hands up. 

        "Gentlemen, and I use the term loosely, what in the world do you think you're doing?" Anna asked calmly. 

        "He insulted you, and I'm avenging it." Duo ground out, trying to shove the outraged Zero pilot off of him. 

        "You screwed up the mission and I'm trying to get him to understand that." Heero said, trying to get his hands around Duo's neck. 

        "Well, thank you dearest, I appreciate you avenging my honor. And as for you, Heero Yuy, if you have a problem with my actions quit fighting my husband and take it up with me." 

        Heero and Duo begrudgingly pulled each other to their feet. Heero turned on his partner's wife. 

        "You blew the whole thing, Anna." 

        "How did I do that?" 

        "You weren't there when OWN swarmed the building!" 

        "They swarmed the building?" Anna echoed. "When?" 

        "Not five minutes after you left! And Wufei's gone because of it!" 

        "Fei-chan…" Anna gasped. "Oh, crap…they think…" She remembered the party…OWN believed that Wufei was her husband. 

        "Yeah. I thought's that was how you might react." Heero snapped. 

        Anna's eyes flashed. "Well pardon me for not being Miss Cleo; I didn't know they would swarm the building. I had something rather important to do. So if you want to accuse me of abandoning the mission with no reason I dare you to try it, 'cause I won't be so careful as to where I locate my punches." 

        "What could you have been doing that was more important than the mission they were on?" 

        "Making sure Ryuujin's second mission didn't get carried out!" Anna snapped. 

        "His second mission?" 

        "Yes." Piped up Ethan's young voice. "Killing us." 

        Marq and Ethan appeared behind Anna, the older brother looking quite serious, the younger grinning like that cat that ate the canary. 

        "Heero, Duo, Chase, might I have the pleasure to present Marq and Ethan Peacecraft, crown princes of the Peacecraft estates." 

        "Zech's boys?" Chase exclaimed. 

        "Yup. He's eight and I'm five." Ethan said. 

        "OWN was after them?" Heero asked Anna. 

        "Drizzik was after them. And he's not to thrilled with me either." 

        "I should think not. I wouldn't be thrilled if you'd killed my brother." Heero said dryly. 

        "Well lucky for the world that you haven't got one." Anna replied in the same dry manner. 

        "Well fine. You had something important to do. Next time, feel free to inform the rest of your _team_." Heero said. 

        "Will do. However, in the mean time, would you please contact Noin and tell her that her children are safe and sound? I have a meeting to arrange." 

        "Sure thing. Quatre's back, and we need to work on the Zero and the Sandrock, and see what we can do about rebuilding the other gundams. It has occurred to me that without the gundams, we have no way to fight his war." Heero said grimly. 

        "We know." Duo said. "We've got to do something about it and fast." 

        "Right. You and I should get with Quatre, and Chase should come too. What meeting, Anna?" Heero asked. 

        "Um, just a rendezvous between friends. No biggie." She said, waving it off.

        Heero leaned over to Duo. "Is she lying?" 

        Duo nodded. "Oh yeah." 

        Anna sweatdropped. "Go on, get out of here." 

        Marq tugged on Duo's sleeve. "Can I come with you?" 

        Duo grinned. "Sure, kiddo. Ethan, you wanna come?" 

        The younger Peacecraft shook his head. "I'd rather stay with Anna-chan." 

        "All right. Let's go." 

        Ethan and Anna smiled and waved goodbye as the other four headed for the hangar. Ethan pushed himself up on the counter. 

        "Don't suppose you can cook and make meetings at the same time, can you, Anna-chan?" he asked hopefully. 

        She grinned and ruffled his hair. "Of course I can. What would you like?

        "Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and scrambled eggs." He said firmly. 

        "Oh, really? All right." Anna set the bread, peanut butter, jelly, plate and a knife on the counter. "Well, I'll trust you to make the sandwich, and I'll scramble the eggs." 

        "Cool!" 

        Anna shook her head and went about scrambling eggs as she dialed a familiar phone number. 

        "Meg Collins here." 

        "Heya, Meggie." Anna said. "Got a minute?" 

        "Anna! How are you? I saw the news, you all right?" 

        "I'm all right. How are you? And how's Jack?" 

        "I'm doing fine! Thinking about moving here to Tokyo I like it so much. Jack however, is about to burn a hole in the floor. I've never seen a boy so antsy." 

        "Well, I think I have the cure for that. Would you send him to me? And send me Sparky while you're at it." Anna said, stirring the eggs in the pan. 

        "Sure thing. I can have them there…wait…what year are you?" 

        Anna blinked. "That's right, I forgot. I'm in the future." 

        "How are you calling me then?" 

        "Old cell." 

        "Ah." 

        Anna sighed. "I guess I'll just have to beam them out of there. Have them ready though, please?" 

        "No problem. I'll have them ready in an hour." 

        "Thanks, Meg. See you later." 

        "Bye." 

        Ethan swung his legs from the counter. "Who are Jack and Sparky? Who do they belong to?" 

        Anna unceremoniously dumped Ethan's eggs in a bowl and handed it to him. "Belong to?" 

        Ethan nodded. "Everyone belongs to someone. You know, where their heart is." 

        "You sure are philosophical for a five year old." 

        "My dad trained us well." 

        Anna laughed. "I'm sure he did. Sparky belongs to me, I guess you could say. He hasn't found someone to love yet. Jack…Jack belongs to a friend of mine." 

        "Trowa." Ethan said.

        Anna narrowed her eyes. "Yes. How did you know?" 

        Ethan shrugged. "I just know things sometimes." 

        "Uh-huh. Well, finish up lunch, and then we've got an hour to kill before Sparky and Jack arrive." 

        Ten minutes later, Ethan had finished his lunch and was staring at the young woman intently. Anna tilted her head and stared back. 

        "What?" she asked with a smile. 

        He hesitated. "Can I…can I tell you your future?" 

        She frowned slightly. "My future?" 

        He nodded. "I'm an oracle. Mom and Dad don't know, and Marq gets upset when I do it. But sometimes I can sense when people have questions…and you have a lot of questions about stuff." 

        Anna gazed at him intensely. "You do know what you're saying, don't you?" 

        Ethan smiled. "Yup." 

        Anna took a deep breath. There could be no harm in indulging him. It was probably just a phase he was going through because of all the turmoil in his life. Or he was telling the truth and she was again getting into something way over her head. 

        "Okay." Anna agreed. "You can do that." 

        "Let's go!" Ethan said happily. 

        "Go?" Anna echoed as he dragged her out the door. 

        Fifteen minutes later, Ethan was looking rather disgruntled. "You mean to tell me that you picked a house without a beach?" he grumped. 

        "A beach? Is that what you're looking for? Honey, we're in the mountains. I can find you a lake, but we'll have to transport to find a beach." 

        "Well let's go all ready. We have to be back to get the guys." Ethan commanded. 

        "Just like your Daddy." Anna said, pulling out the laptop. Seconds later they appeared fifteen miles away on the edge of the water on a secluded beach. 

        "Happy?" Anna asked. 

        Ethan grinned. "Yup, this'll work." He walked to the edge of the water and pulled her with him. He stood in front of her. "Okay, this is how this works. I won't remember anything I tell you. Not everything is set in stone, but I'm not usually wrong, or so I'm told. Okay?" 

        Anna suddenly had the feeling he wasn't kidding. "Okay…" 

        Ethan shut his eyes and cupped his hands in front of him. Anna shivered as a chill ran down her spine and the wind picked up. A grey orb formed between his hands and the wind exploded around them in a furious gale. The orb cleared and became a mirror. Ethan looked up, his eyes as grey as the orb had been. 

        "You have many questions." He said softly, his voice much deeper than normal. "I have few answers, but it may help. The thing foremost on your mind is the death of Ryuujin the half-dragon. You will carry this burden always, but you must put that aside until the time is right. He has given you a gift, and you will soon need it. The thing second foremost on your mind is the child you carry. This child belongs to your soul mate, not the friend you hold close in your heart. Your friend has deceived you with the best intentions, but these intentions have led to much confusion. You must believe yourself worthy of your husband's love. It is your fate to be bound to him and no one else. Your second child will be extremely important to…" he hesitated, "..to me. The third thing is your friend Chase. To outside appearances all is forgiven but there is much underlying there. You will not deal with her face to face?" he asked. 

        Anna's face had changed expressions at least fifteen times in the last two minutes, from sadness to confusion before turning to joy (she was going to have Duo's baby after she killed Mirek for lying to her, it wasn't her fault she was a forgetful drunk, and why the heck would you lie about something like _that _happening?) to a glittering coolness. "No. I won't. There's nothing to deal with." 

        Ethan frowned. "You will face a demon who will make you face your own. He will give you a chance to face your demons later, but don't take it. If you don't do this now it will destroy everything. You're planning to do something that is a bigger betrayal to her than killing the dragon. You must do what you do best, Anna Maxwell. Fight for what you believe in." 

        "Ethan…" Anna started, but the wind wove furiously around them again, and the mirror shattered and the wind faded. 

        Ethan blinked several times and his eyes returned to their icy blue color. He smiled hesitantly. "Was it okay? I didn't predict the end of the world or death or plague or anything?" 

        Anna smiled and took a deep breath. "No, nothing like that. It helped me out a lot." She hugged him. "That's a special gift you've got their, kiddo. You be careful with it." 

        He nodded happily. "I did it once for Marq, but I don't think it came out very well. He wouldn't talk to me for three days." 

        Anna smoothed the hair on the side of his head. "Not everything comes out like we want it too." She checked her watch. "Hey, we have to get back. Jack and Sparky will be back soon."  

        Seconds later they reappeared in the safe house, just in time to meet the others coming back into the kitchen. 

        "Where did you guys go?" Chase asked. 

        "The beach. Wanted to get out for a bit." Anna replied easily. "Finished all ready?" 

        "Good heavens no." Chase replied. "We're going to need to make serious modifications to both gundams before they're ready to face another war." 

        "In short, it doesn't look good for us." Heero said flatly. 

        "We'll think of something. We always do." Quatre said firmly. 

        "Of course we will." Anna said, checking her watch. Ethan smirked. 

        "Hey, Anna-chan?" he asked. 

        "Hmm?" 

        "Can I see the gundams?" 

        Anna looked down at him and grinned. "Absolutely. I'll take you now." 

        "I'll go with you, if you want." Duo offered. 

        "That's all right. We won't take long." 

        "Okay." 

        As Anna and Ethan left the kitchen and headed down the hall towards the hangar, Heero sighed. 

        "She's doing it again." 

        "Oh yeah." Duo agreed. "But it'll work out. Whatever she does works out eventually. She's just lucky that way." 

        Anna pulled Ethan into the hangar and locked it behind them. She turned around and realized they were in total darkness. 

        "Umm… Anna-chan?" 

        "Sorry, kiddo. Hang on…Light switch…light switch…" 

        "Lights activated." Answered a soft computerized voice. 

        The lights came on at a dim level, but enough that they could see. Anna put her hands on her hips. 

        "I don't remember that…" She muttered. 

        "It's the gundams…" Ethan breathed next to her.

        "Oh, not you too…" 

        "This is so cool!" He exclaimed, running up to the Zero and touching one of the legs.

        Anna smiled. He looked so small compared to the giant mecha. She sat down at one of the computer desks and set the laptop up. 

        "Five minutes." She said. 

        "This is so awesome!" Ethan said, walking around the Zero. "Did you ever pilot this one?" he asked. 

        Anna shook her head. "No. During the Eve Wars, Chase and I were both tested to see if we were compatible with the Zero system. I refused to use it after that." 

        "Something bad happened?" 

        "Yeah. Something bad happened. I wasn't prepared for what the system would do." 

        "Why not?" 

        Anna sighed. "Have you ever met Odin Lowe?" 

        Ethan shook his head no. 

        "Well, I'm sure you'll have the displeasure. He's always skulking about somewhere when Chase is involved in something. He put the Zero system in the Star, my gundam, without telling me. It almost ended badly." 

        Ethan grinned. "You don't like him." 

        "You can tell?" 

        Ethan laughed before his gaze became serious again. Anna wondered briefly how he changed expressions so fast. 

        "Can I ask you something, Anna-chan?" 

        "Sure." 

        "You want her to hate you, don't you?" 

        Anna froze in her spot, her thoughts coming to a complete halt. She smiled grimly. "It would make things easier, wouldn't it?" 

        "Was it always this way?" 

        Anna shook her head. "No. No it wasn't always this way. We just grew up, that's all. Chase and I simply grew up a little, and became different people. Not completely different…but enough…" She smiled forcefully again. "She said once that I would hurt her like everyone else. You would have thought killing Ryuujin would have hit that nail home. I tried…I really tried to protect her, but she wouldn't have it. And eventually I felt like someone hanging on to the edge of a really tall building with my fingers slipping, but I'd be damned if I'd let go. Some people just let go, but some of us have to have our fingers broken." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I've got one more trick up my sleeve though, and that should be enough to seal my coffin, so to speak." 

        "But…" 

        "They're coming." Anna said, clicking something on the laptop. The room flooded with light and several seconds later Jack Avis and Sparky were standing before them. 

        "Welcome to the Twilight Zone." Anna said dryly. 

        Sparky grinned. "Long time no see." 

        Anna smiled back. "You okay?" 

        "Yeah." 

        Anna turned to look at Jack. "How 'bout you?" 

        He brushed black bangs out of his face. "Yeah. I'm okay." He turned to look at the gundams. "So these are the originals, huh?" 

        "Yup." 

        Jack nodded. "Impressive. Mind if I take a look?" 

        "Have at it." Anna agreed. "You hungry, Sparky?" 

        "Yeah!" He exclaimed enthusiastically. 

        "All righty. Ethan and I will give you the grand tour. You going to come when you're ready, Jack?" 

        Jack was all ready climbing over the prone Zero, making mental notes about the structure. "Sure." He grunted, grimacing as part of the facing fell off the mecha. 

        Anna, Ethan, and Sparky also winced. "Right. We'll be in the kitchen." 

        Jack watched the three of them disappeared and leaned against the frame of the Zero. He sighed and ran his hands over his face before leaning over the wiring exposed when the facing fell off. He grabbed a toolbox from the workstation and pushed his sleeves up. 

        Two hours later, he had worked his way over three panels, and was still unhappy with the way it was looking. He poked his pliers around, trying to fish out a loose wire that needed reconnecting. He couldn't quite reach it, and he cursed under his breath. 

        A hand clasped his shoulder and a longer pair of pliers was put in front of his face. 

        "Try these, they'll work better." 

        "Thanks." Jack mumbled. 

        The hand squeezed his shoulder, and Jack froze as the voice sank into his conscious. He dropped the pliers and his hand slipped up to the one on his shoulder. Jack could feel his heartbeat quicken and breathing became painful. He slowly turned his head and looked up. 

        "Trowa?" He whispered. 

        "Jack." Trowa replied softly. 

        The younger man turned and their gazes met. Jack let out a half sob and flung his arms around the former gundam pilot. Trowa caught his embrace and returned it just as fiercely. 

        Trowa buried his face in the black hair. "I missed you, Jack." He whispered. 

        Jack clutched the fabric of Trowa's shirt. "Missed you too." He mumbled. "Didn't know what I was going to do when I woke up and Anna told me you were dead…" 

        "I didn't know what I was going to do after Heero kill… shot you. I guess we both got lucky, huh?" 

        Jack nodded, his tears disappearing into the black shirt beneath his face. "I guess so." 

        Trowa squeezed him gently before holding him at arm's length. "Everything's fine now. Everything's going to be fine." 

        Jack smiled and wiped his face with his sleeve. "Oh! You need this back…" He pulled the little silver cross from his neck and clasped it back around Trowa's. 

        Trowa ran his fingers over it and smiled. "Arigato." 

        "Anytime." 

        Duo and Chase were seated at the kitchen table along with Sparky, Marq, and Ethan, who were all eating, while Anna and Heero stood by the counters. 

        Chase glared at Duo when he leaned his chair back on two legs, but he simply grinned and ignored it. He sipped his coffee and glanced at his wife. 

        "You look pensive, A-chan." 

        She glanced up at him, startled. "Eh? Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something I need to do tomorrow." 

        "What's that?" Duo asked. 

        Anna rapped her fingers on the marble counter. "I need to go to Tokyo, my time. I need to get something out of a safety deposit box." 

        "You had a safety deposit box in Tokyo?" Chase asked sounding surprised. 

        "Hai. I kept a piece of jewelry there. I need it back." Anna answered. 

        "You opened a deposit box for one piece of jewelry?" Heero asked. 

        Anna smiled. "Hai." 

        "Must be expensive." Duo said. 

        Anna shrugged. "I don't know. I never had it appraised. I suppose it was. It was a gift, so I don't really know. It's just a necklace." 

        "You want me to go with you?" Duo asked hopefully.

        Anna smiled. "I'd like that." 

        "You're going to get all lovey-dovey, aren't you?" Ethan asked, making a face. 

        Duo ruffled his hair. "I've got ten years to catch up on, so you better believe it." 

        Anna smiled again. If she could get the necklace to Underground Tokyo by tomorrow night at the latest, they just might have a chance at winning this war. 


End file.
